Of Coffee Shops and Love Stories
by ProfessionalAshes0fRoses
Summary: One day Jeff finds himself face to face with a man who would forever change his life. (Rated T for heavy hitting topics.)
1. Chapter 1

**Of Coffee Shops and Love Stories**

 **A/N: Today my friends I present you with a thought that happened one day when I was at work and somehow sprung into a whole story. I'll talk to you at the end!**

* * *

Jeff had been up since stupid o' clock and it was almost 5 pm now. His feet hurt and he was exhausted, and the pain in his mouth was giving him a migraine. Thankfully he was off in a few minutes. A coworker slapped him on the back playfully.

"You off at 5?" Kurt asked.

"You bet your sweet ass," Jeff replied. "I'm dead on my feet right now. I can barely think, and this migraine isn't helping."

"Yeah well the whole letting your teeth rot thing probably doesn't help with that either," Kurt quipped. "Does saying it's a migraine make you feel better about your denial?"

Jeff's face got red. "I told you about that in confidence," he squeaked. "And for the record the migraine part isn't a lie. I've got a double whammy going right now."

"You're a mess. Get your face fixed idiot."

"I'm an adult, let me make my own self destructive choices." Jeff turned around when he heard a customer walk in. He pushed aside his utter misery and quickly fell into customer service mode. "Hi, how are you?" Jeff smiled even though he currently felt dead. "What can I get started for you?"

The two exchanged polite greetings before the man went ahead with his order "Can I just get a granda blonde roast please?"

"We only have pike brewed at the moment, that's our medium roast. Is that okay?" Jeff said almost robotically. He finally got a better look at the guy and saw Nick Duval DMD embroidered on his scrubs and he couldn't believe he hadn't already noticed. Usually seeing anyone in scrubs sent up red flags in his head.

"That's fine."

Jeff smiled awkwardly and accepted Nick's payment before turning around to get the coffee. Jeff could feel the man hovering as he waited for his drink. They were really slow at the moment so there were no other customers. Apparently it was slow enough for Kurt to take note of the man's scrubs too.

"I found a solution to your problem Jeff," Kurt commented. "He's had a toothache for weeks and thinks complaining about it will make it go away," Kurt now said to Nick.

Jeff didn't turn around and completely ignored the two even though it was probably rude. He was starting to tremble. He didn't think what Kurt was doing was funny in the slightest. "Kurt don't you have something better to do?" Jeff whispered harshly.

Nick smiled knowingly at Kurt. "Oh is that so?" he said in fascination. "Well Jeff. Your name's Jeff right?"

"That's my name," Jeff said bleakly. "Well unfortunately it looks like we need to brew more pike. I apologize for any inconvenience. I'll bring your drink out to you when it's done unless you'd like something else," he offered as politely as he could in attempts to end the conversation.

"No that's fine. However I do have a question for you. I ask this in the least awkward way possible, but do you want my business card? If you are interested in getting that problem taken care of that is?" Nick asked.

"Thank you so much but no thank you. Nick your coffee will be done in a few minutes okay?"

Nick's face blanched. He could tell the barista wasn't interested in having this discussion. He silently sat down and waited for his coffee.

Jeff was shaken as he readied another batch of pike, and his frustration with Kurt wasn't helping his bad mood. After a few minutes the coffee was done but in his distracted state he tried to put the lid on the coffee when it was on the edge of the counter and managed to pour scolding coffee all over himself in the process.

He screamed when he felt the burning liquid going down his arm. "Dammit!" He ran to the back to soothe the burn with cold water, telling Kurt to get Nick another cup.

Nick looked concerned as he watched Jeff run off to the back. He felt guilty for making him uncomfortable since he was probably the reason for the injury. Nick knew it was probably against rules somewhere but his doctorly instincts made him check to see if everything was okay. He pushed open the door and found Jeff running water over the burn. "I'm so sorry. That was my fault. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Jeff scowled. "I don't think you're really supposed to be back here," he said bitterly. But he quickly felt bad for being so rude to Nick. He was concerned enough to walk back here after all. "It wasn't anything you did. I'm just clumsy. I'm sorry about your coffee. I was supposed to be off... uh two minutes ago. So the other barista will get your coffee, okay?"

Nick scoffed. "I just snuck into the back of an establishment I don't work at and you really think it's the coffee I'm concerned about?"

Jeff finally looked away from the water running over his fresh burn to take a good look at Nick. He was a clean cut guy in his late 20's and he was pretty damn good looking. Jeff silently scolded himself for checking out the guy that was the reason he spilled scolding liquid all over himself. Jeff sighed deeply. "So what are you riddled with guilt for harassing your barista?"

Nick gaped. "I wasn't–"

"I'm kidding, Nick." Jeff turned off the running water and looked at the spot on his arm where the coffee burned him. He could see Nick looking concerned too. "I'll be fine. This isn't the first time I've spilled coffee on myself. My skin is just red. It's hardly a burn."

"Can I look?" Nick asked tentatively, like he wanted to confirm the damage he indirectly caused wasn't too serious.

Jeff furrowed his brows but let Nick take his arm to look over the burn. "Like I said it's fine. It will heal."

Nick hummed in thought before letting go of Jeff's arm finally. "You're right, it looks like a pretty shallow burn."

"Well I'm off now," Jeff said, taking off his apron and folding it up. "So this is where we part ways I'm afraid. Until you come back to make me pour more coffee on myself that is."

Nick smiled apologetically. "I do still feel bad about that. Are you sure there's nothing I can do to make up for it?"

The two lingered there for a few more seconds. "Probably not, no," Jeff said.

"Are you sure? I know this is awkward and I normally wouldn't offer under different circumstances but I do feel bad for making you spill coffee on yourself. Your coworker did mention something that I happened to be very qualified to help with..."

Jeff's face blanched. "No thanks." He walked out of the back and clocked out on the register that wasn't being used to ring up orders. Nick was still standing there. Jeff sighed. "Nick you don't owe me anything. I'm a barista. I'm constantly spilling hot things on myself. I'm fine."

Nick still looked concerned however. Even though they'd only known each other for a few minutes he felt oddly connected to Jeff. "I know you're fine. I just hate leaving you like this. I want to help."

"I don't need help." Jeff recorded the time stamp to clock out and then walked away from behind the counter but Nick was still lingering.

"Humor me," Nick insisted. "Let's just sit down and talk for a few minutes. We're in a coffee shop so you don't have to worry about me murdering you."

Jeff sighed deeply but for some reason, he trusted the cute stranger. "Fine," he agreed. They took a seat in the back. "Look Nick I really appreciate your kindness but I'm really tired. So can we make this quick?"

"Well... I can try. I guess it depends on how honest you're willing to be."

Jeff gave Nick a questioning look. "About what?" He had a sneaking suspicion he knew.

"Honestly, and this is going to make me sound crazy, but I feel oddly drawn to you. I just have a feeling you need my help. I don't do this. I don't go out of my way to offer my professional help to people. If they're interested then cool, if not whatever. But with you I just know this is serious and you need someone you can trust," Nick tried to explain.

"You're right, you do sound crazy. But for some reason I'm not leaving so that makes me crazy too." Jeff thought for a second. "I don't get it. Why do I want to trust you?"

Nick smiled a little. "The universe has a funny way of bringing people onto your path sometimes."

"Nick to be perfectly honest with you I can't tell if you're flirting with me or if you just want to fix my face."

Nick laughed. "Maybe a bit of both?"

Jeff hummed. He looked down at his hands.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Nick asked gently. "I know you don't feel well. I can see it on your face and in how you carry yourself. You need help."

"A bit," Jeff under-exaggerated. Nick gave him a pointed look. "Okay a little more than a bit."

"Was it due to some kind of injury or did it just happen?" Nick asked.

Jeff grimaced in response because he wasn't sure how to answer that question. Nick raised his brows in question. "I ummm... bingo?"

"Bingo?"

"It's... different reasons all across the board. I have bingo for sure. I've won this game of self-destruction. What's my prize?"

Nick had to hold back a laugh. "Well I have a feeling you're not gonna like it."

"Yeah I walked right into that one," Jeff sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. "Where's this going Nick?"

"Come into my office and at the very least let me do a consultation. Let me assess your health and see what's going on. Free of charge," Nick offered with a dashing smile.

Jeff whined. "Nick, listen. I really like you, I do. But I would rather have my arm gnawed slowly by a grizzly bear."

Nick raised a brow. "I'll refrain from commenting on how dramatic you sound, I understand you're apprehensive. Hmm." He pulled a business card from his wallet. "Here. That's my name and my office address. Google it. Read some reviews." Nick slid the card across the table.

Jeff accepted the card warily. "Are you sure you-?"

"Yes Jeff just look it up. Confirm for yourself that I'm legit and trustworthy."

Jeff started trembling again. The constant pain he'd been in was starting to wear him thin in all honesty, and even though it was completely ridiculous he googled the information on the business card. He could feel Nick watching him as he looked through his website and read some reviews. "Well... okay I'll give you that your website setup is nice and people have mostly good things to say about you. 4.7 out of 5 stars. Not too shabby. But why not 5 stars?" Jeff asked seriously.

"Because you can't please everyone," Nick said simply. "Take a little extra time with one patient to make sure they're comfortable, another patient in the waiting room gets impatient. Sometimes my schedule runs over a bit. It happens."

Jeff nodded in understanding. The reviews seemed to confirm that. "So you take your time and go slow?"

"Absolutely. If the patient needs the extra time we'll take the time. Not every office does it like that but it's something I really value. Any other questions?" Nick asked patiently.

Jeff thought for a few seconds. "Tell me why I should trust you," he prompted.

"Well," Nick thought. "If I was bad at my job there would surly be some reviews to tell the tale, and there really aren't. Other than the time management stuff. Besides, you need someone to trust. Lo and behold, I walk into your life. The perfect solution to your problem. If you needed a sign from the universe that it's time to face your current situation I'm going to assume I'm your sign."

Jeff wanted there to be some type of red flag, something to give him a reason not to trust this stranger. But there was nothing. He was generally anxious but his gut was telling him to trust Nick. Jeff ran a hand over his face in frustration. "I'm completely insane. The sleep deprivation has gone to my head and I've finally cracked."

Nick cracked a smile. "This is you giving in isn't it?"

"I didn't say that."

"I think you did, basically," Nick said.

Jeff shook his head. "Yep. That's my cue to leave. Nice knowing you Nick."

"Jeff you and I both know you don't want to do that. Tell you what we're gonna do. You're gonna get in your car and follow my car to my office where I'll give you a personal tour. Then you can decide for yourself how you feel."

"I feel like this is how people get murdered so I'll pass," Jeff said.

"Jeff I'm not going to murder you."

"That's exactly what someone who was going to murder me would say."

Nick smirked in amusement. "Why don't you go tell your friend over there we're going on an adventure? He'll know where you are which would make it impressively hard for me to get away with killing you or something else barbaric."

"I think your whole profession would be considered something barbaric," Jeff quipped lamely.

"It actually says on my degree that I'm a qualified barbarian."

"I don't know what that joke is supposed to mean but I'm gonna go tell Kurt where we're going. Only because the pain in my face is currently making me want to die and it's wearing me a bit thin. Probably clouding my judgment." Jeff walked over to the register where Kurt had taken over for him. "Well it looks like I'm leaving with the cute stranger over there so if I don't text you in say 2 hours I'm probably dead."

"You're actually letting him help you? Has hell frozen over? Actually it's probably better I don't question it. See ya lover boy," Kurt singsonged.

Jeff huffed in annoyance and then turned back around. Nick was standing there waiting for him and suddenly Jeff felt his stomach start twisting with awful anxiety. What this trip would entail finally hit him and he felt sick with panic.

Nick could see the panic starting to rise in his new friend. "Uh oh. Let's walk outside and talk about it," he said throwing an arm around his shoulder.

Jeff felt helpless but he so badly wanted to trust this stranger. So he followed. He sat down at a table outside immediately where he was already starting to tremble. "This is a bad idea. I don't think you realize how much this messes me up. You really don't know what you're getting yourself into, Nick. I don't know if you just think I'm some cute stranger that you're going to help out and then walk merrily into the sunset with but anxiety really doesn't look good on me. Maybe you should just give me the number to a trusted colleague and we'll call it a day."

Nick sat down across from Jeff with a concerned look on his face. He listened patiently to Jeff spout his worries and before he spoke. "I might do that if I didn't already know you would never call. I'm going to be really honest with you for a second Jeff. You're already in pain, a lot of it, and you've admitted that. For any other person that would be enough to push them to take some kind of action, but it hasn't been for you. So what more will it take? I think I know and I don't want to see that happen to you."

"I'll do something about it this time," Jeff said meekly.

Nick frowned. "I'm sorry but I just don't believe you. Your worries are more than valid and I promise I'm going to take every precaution to make sure you're okay and comfortable, but I want you to stop trying to give yourself a way out. I know it's easier and by far the safest thing to do in your mind but you know exactly how you're feeling right now and do you think waiting longer is going to do anything to help that? The only way to get rid of the awful anxiety I know you're feeling right now is to face it head on. It's not the cushy choice but it's the only choice that's going to help you in the long run."

Jeff didn't say anything and just rubbed at his temples. "I don't know if it's the best idea to do this while I'm incredibly sleep deprived."

"You can take a nap when we get there. You don't have to do anything but agree and I'll take care of the rest," Nick insisted.

"You just don't give up do you?" Jeff sighed.

"Nope. Ready to go Jeff?"

"Not really."

"Too bad. Time to go." Nick stood up and looked at Jeff expectantly. "This is a good thing Jeff. You'll see that when this situation is behind you and you don't have to deal with it anymore."

"Forgive me for not being able to see that far ahead."

"I don't expect you to. Just know that peace is coming. You just have to deal with the panic first." Nick offered a hand to help Jeff stand up and he reluctantly accepted.

The duo walked to their respective vehicles which happened to be parked right next to each other. "That's weird," Jeff commented.

"Tell me this wasn't meant to happen. We were bound to cross paths eventually. But you really don't look well. Are you okay to drive?" Nick asked.

Jeff didn't answer right away which told Nick he wasn't.

"Welp it looks like you're riding with me. We'll come back and get your car after. I don't want you to drive in your current state. We can talk some more on the way there." Nick unlocked his car and opened the passenger side door for Jeff.

"Well your car is incredibly nice so it looks like you are who you say you are," Jeff said as he got in.

"I am indeed who I claim to be. This isn't an elaborate scheme to kidnap you."

"Could have fooled me," Jeff said as Nick started driving. "I feel like this has been pretty one-sided so now you have to tell me something personal. I mean really dive deep. No shallow first date stuff, I want something juicy."

"Juicy huh? How deep do you want me to go?"

"All the way. The first thing that popped into your head, something you're afraid to tell people."

"Great," Nick sighed. "Are you sure?"

Jeff had to fight a smirk crawling up his face. "Now you're uncomfortable. This is an interesting twist. But yes I'm sure."

Now Nick was the reluctant one but eventually he started to speak. "Fine but you're not allowed to say anything until the end of the story. You have to listen to the whole thing first."

"Deal."

Nick sighed again but forced himself to start speaking. "In high school, I was a good student, made good grades and all of that jazz. But I didn't realize until I went to a fancy college that I only ever made the good grades because the work was easy for me. I didn't have to work for it. I went from being top of my class to struggling to pass my class. I felt like I was working harder than I ever had, and at a college as competitive as mine was even then I was barely average. I failed my first class that semester and up until that point I'd never even made a C. I took it really hard. I took the next semester off to reevaluate what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like my dreams were crushed. I wasn't smart enough to accomplish what I wanted to– and I only ever made one plan. So what was the point if I couldn't achieve that goal? I don't know how to describe what I was feeling. I want to say devastated but I don't think that quite covers it. It shattered me. I didn't feel like I had a future at that point and I didn't know what to do. I just knew I didn't want to live to be a failure." Nick paused for a moment to collect himself before continuing with the story. "I imagine you know where this is going. I took a handful of pills– and this isn't one of those stories where I'm gonna tell you I regretted it the instant I did it because I didn't. I laid down in my bed like I was going to sleep and I felt at peace. But it wasn't like falling asleep. I could feel the drugs starting to kick in and it was the most horrific thing I've ever felt. I was going to die panicking– I wasn't going to peacefully slip away like I'd romanticized in my head. Thank God my dad got home when he did. He found me in enough time to call an ambulance and my stomach was pumped. It took me a long time to recover from that, and I surely didn't realize it instantly but eventually, I came to the conclusion that I was just going to have to make another plan and find a way to live. The only plus to surviving a suicide attempt is people take your cry for help seriously after that. So I got help and I healed from that awful period of my life. I hate how simple that sounds because it really wasn't simple and I still struggled for a long time after that. Life didn't just instantly get better because I survived. But I found a way to get where I wanted to be and I'm proud of my life now."

"Well I'm really glad you're still here," is all Jeff could string together after hearing Nick's story.

"I appreciate that. I really do. Thank you for not judging me," Nick said.

"I only think more highly of you now. Look at the life you've made for yourself now. Are you happy?" Jeff asked seriously.

"I'm content. But I wholeheartedly believe happy will come in time. For now, contentment is all I could ask."

Jeff nodded in understanding. "I suppose contentment is better than hopelessness."

Nick nodded in agreement. "Well there's my dark secret. Your turn."

Jeff's lips turned up in amusement and the mood in the car quickly shifted. "Oh so you're making me spill more than I already have? How dark are we talking?"

Nick shrugged. "Dunno. First thing that pops into your head."

Jeff laughed awkwardly. "Well if I tell you the first thing that popped into my head it's not going to exactly help my case."

Nick raised his eyebrows in question, prompting the blonde to explain.

Jeff rubbed at his face, partly due to embarrassment and partly due to how exhausted he was. He knew he was going to tell Nick and he was probably going to regret saying it. "Well, when pain gets to a certain point ibuprofen doesn't help anymore. So I had to find other things to help."

"Jeff," Nick sighed. "What have you been taking?"

Jeff just shook his head. "You're not gonna like it. We'll just leave it at that."

"You don't have to tell me. I know what helps. Probably makes you feel really nice too huh? Tell me it's just pills."

"That's not right. I didn't have that type of reaction when you told me your story," Jeff defended. "But yes it's just pills. I think I'd throw up if I tried to inject something into my own veins, and I do have a line I don't cross."

"Because what I struggled with is behind me. You really don't understand the difference? Or is it because you don't want to?"

Jeff shrugged. "What do you want me to say? I'm not allowed to just lay in bed and sulk about how much pain I'm in. I have to work so I can pay my rent. I can't take sick days. I have to find a way to function and this is my way."

"This type of thing ruins lives. This isn't how you function. It's not a solution. Jeff I don't need to tell you how bad this is." Nick sighed deeply to calm himself down, he was getting angry and frustrated. He was already starting to care for Jeff very deeply and it hurt him to realize how bad the situation was. "Look, we don't need to talk about it. You're an adult. I can't make you do anything. I apologize if my frustration is showing. But it's even more important that we deal with this now," he said as they pulled into his office. Nick parked in his spot and turned off the car.

"I shouldn't have told you," Jeff said. "I can't believe I did this. I can't be here. This was never a solution," he said frantically.

"There aren't any other solutions," Nick said calmly. "Take all the pills you want, eventually the infection will kill you. It happens very rarely because we know how to treat it now but it can still happen if you refuse treatment. Jeff I know you don't like it and I can't imagine the lengths you've gone to to avoid it, but you will receive the best treatment from me if that means anything."

Jeff was starting to feel physically sick but at this point, he was essentially being shamed into cooperation. Maybe Nick didn't see it that way but he felt trapped. "Please don't make your first impression of me based on what I've had to do out of desperation. I used to be so much better than this."

"You still can be. C'mon. I'm sorry I got frustrated. I'm not going to bring it up again and I won't hold it over your head. All I want you to know now is that you're safe and you're going to be taken care of. I'm not going to make you do anything you can't handle today. We'll assess where you're at and go from there, but nothing serious will happen today. I promise. It's just us here right now, all of the other staff have left for the day so I wouldn't be able to do anything major even if I wanted to." Nick's voice sounded calm and comforting and for a second Jeff thought he might be able to trust him.

Jeff got out of the car slowly and walked with Nick. "Are you sure you want to deal with me? You might be underestimating what I can handle."

"Odds are I've dealt with far worse."

"Yeeaaah well we'll see about that."

Nick's office was fancy, to say the least. A lot of money clearly went into the construction of it.

Nick unlocked the door to the office and held the door open for Jeff. The two walked in and Nick flipped on the lights. The waiting room looked like a living room and it surprisingly felt cozy.

"It doesn't smell like I thought it would in here," Jeff commented.

"Nope. The smell is a trigger for a lot of people so we use different chemicals to avoid the signature odor. Lucky for frightened nymphs such as yourself. Follow me back here and we'll get started," Nick gestured for Jeff to follow him to the back.

Jeff tensed up and started walking slower. Nick noticed quickly and decided it was time to use a bit of charm on his new friend. "Jeff tell me, does the environment feel different than it did the last time you were somewhere like this? Do you feel more at ease?"

Jeff stopped to think about what he was feeling, and to be honest, he didn't feel as unsafe as he remembered feeling last time. He was anxious but somehow he was okay. For now.

"I trust you which helps. I don't feel unsafe. Just... worried."

"About?" Nick prompted.

"What lengths it's going to take to fix this mess I made."

Nick frowned a little. "If it's any consolation I'm a pretty good guy to have in your corner. I won't let you down."

Jeff was doubtful but he followed Nick into an exam room.

"Sit down and get comfy while I wash my hands. Are you okay with doing that?" Nick asked sweetly.

Jeff wasn't going to say no so he sat down.

"Well I'll tell you one thing, this surprisingly isn't the most awkward first date I've been on," Nick mused from the sink.

Jeff scoffed. "Never use this place and date in the same sentence ever again, please. For the love of all that is holy. This isn't a story I want to tell at my wedding."

"Already thinking about weddings huh? Is this date going that well?" Nick teased as he slipped on a pair of gloves.

Jeff glared at his new friend. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Hey, I don't blame you for wanting to take me off the market. I'll make a deal with you, you get through this and I'll show you what a real date looks like this weekend."

"You lost me at the get through this part."

"Well, I was trying to give you something to look forward to. This is probably going to kill the mood anyway though." Nick started to lean back the chair much to his new blonde friend's dismay.

"Hey whoa, a little warning would be nice next time," Jeff fretted.

"Hey Jeff, I'm going to put a piece of paper over you now. Try not to hurt its feelings okay?" Nick smirked and put a bib over Jeff.

"For such a highly educated man you make very little sense sometimes."

"I'm confusing you, that makes perfect sense. Any other concerns before we get started?"

"What you're just ready to jump into it?" Jeff worried.

"Well yes, but if there's anything you're worried about you can warn me and I'll know to be careful. I'm flipping on the light now, but you let me know if you need a break."

Jeff sunk further into his misery as this cute stranger now hovered over him and a bright light was moved over his mouth. This is where the panic really started to set in. The room spun as Jeff struggled to find something to say.

But Nick was already prepared for this. "Jeff at no point will you feel pain when you're under my care. Tell me what you're worried about. Where's it hurt so I know? I'll know to be careful."

Jeff took in a shaky breath. "Upper right, second from the back. Lower left second from the back..."

Nick mentally noted what Jeff said. "Looking forward to being able to eat normally again?" he teased gently.

"Well, I haven't exactly thought that far ahead." Jeff heard the clink of metal being picked up and Nick instantly noticed his jumpiness. Nick hummed in through before setting his tools back down. "I think you need happy gas. You're a bit tense. Does that sound okay?"

Jeff was pretty sure he hadn't taken a proper deep breath since the chair went back so he quickly nodded in agreement. Nick laughed a little. "Yeah, you could use some. I'll be right back."

Nick returned with a canister and a mask. He pulled in a few things and then put a mask over Jeff's nose. "Take a really deep breath in through your nose for me. This will help."

Jeff did as told and at first, he didn't feel anything. "I don't think it's working."

"Give it a second. I promise in about 30 seconds you won't care about what I'm doing." Nick moved the mask to cover his face and then picked up the two tools again. "I know where to be careful Jeff, you can trust me. Is the gas helping yet?"

Jeff's eye movements quickly slowed and he felt a bit dizzy. A warm calmness spread all over his body and he started to feel sleepy. "Oh yeah I think you're feeling it. Go ahead and open really big for me Jeff okay?"

Jeff, suddenly realizing he went from being terrified to high off his ass, mostly wasn't afraid. He was busy admiring Nick. "Brown eyes are really under rated. You know? You look like a puppy. You've got puppy eyes."

"I think you inhaled just enough of that stuff my friend. Is it okay if I help you open? Since you keep getting distracted," Nick smiled.

"I'm really tired," Jeff yawned.

"I know. Close your eyes and open really big for me Jeff, please? Focus," Nick said sternly but gently.

Jeff slowly resigned to his capture and let Nick help him open.

"Good Jeff. Just relax. I won't hurt you."

Jeff squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the feeling of scraping metal. It didn't hurt, nothing hurt so it was okay. He could ignore it.

"Jeff this is the one that's really hurting you isn't it?"

Jeff tensed as he felt Nick hovering. It appeared he found one of the main problems.

"Okay I suppose that doesn't really require an answer. No shit this is hurting you. Don't worry I'm not touching it, just looking. But you're doing so good Jeff, I know you're scared but you're doing so good. Just let yourself relax while I do this."

As Nick started the exam he first took notice of the large fracture on #3. He silently remembered how earlier Jeff talked about having bingo, and this looked like the bingo number one that was due to some kind of injury. It was about as bad as he expected. The fracture was down to the roots and the tooth wasn't looking great. He'd take X-rays to confirm but Nick already knew this wasn't going to be an easy fix. He kept his comments to himself as he charted, finding the other mystery on #19– a rather monstrous cavity. Naturally with a case like Jeff's, where there are years of neglect involved, it's not going to be sunshine and rainbows. Nick found 3 other cavities, which weren't as notable but certainly there and certainly needed treatment.

Jeff tried to zone out for the rest of the exam, trying to ignore every time he felt the tool sticking to another tooth and trying to ignore the guilt rising in his chest over this. There was no reason to let it get this bad and here he was years later finally having to deal with the consequences.

Nick finished a few minutes later. "Okay well, I'd like to take a few X-rays to confirm everything. Get your chart filled out and such. The good news is there's nothing wrong with you that I can't fix. That hasn't changed. I'm going to send you away feeling better than you ever have when this is finished, and that's a promise. I'm going to get you out of pain and feeling good again. I want you to remember that when we talk about treatment okay?" Nick took the mask off of Jeff's nose and sat him up. "X-rays and then we'll talk, okay?"

Jeff listened to Nick speak and his head started to clear, probably not for the better. He allowed Nick to take a few X-rays and it was over pretty quickly.

"How are you feeling?" Nick asked.

"Well I feel like you're trying to drag out news I know isn't going to be good anyway. Lay it on me Nick. I've been avoiding this for years... it's okay. I think we've both come to the understanding that this sucks and I have to deal with it, and there's no point in feeling guilty about it because all I can do at this point is do better. Not let this happen ever again."

"Well, I don't think I could have said it better myself." Nick smiled encouragingly at Jeff as he pulled up the X-rays on his laptop to look them over. "Will showing you make it worse or better?"

"Maybe you should just break it down for me. I'll leave the X-ray looking up to you. I don't need this to be any more real than it has to be."

"Okay so worse. Got it. Well okay here's what we're looking at. You're gonna need a few fillings. I found 4 cavities, one you were pretty aware of, the others aren't as severe. As far as our little-broken friend– the one that's probably causing you the most pain right now, it's gotta go. The fracture from where that filling broke off is too deep for me to treat, once a crack goes beyond the gum-line I can't do anything. But I'll put an implant there and once it's healed you'll never know the difference," Nick explained as cooly as he could.

Jeff sighed deeply. "Yeah well, guess I saw that coming. Never had a tooth yanked out of my face before so that should be thrilling."

"It's not bad. You'll be numb and you won't feel any pain. It's really the least time consuming and easy procedure. It's easy. You just kinda pop it out," Nick offered.

Jeff grimaced. "Absolutely lovely."

"Wanna do it now?" Nick asked excitedly. When he saw Jeff's look of dismay he quickly backtracked. "Just a suggestion. I could fill you up with some more of that gas and get it out tonight, one less thing to worry about and you've already done the hardest thing."

Jeff quickly shook his head. "You just sat me up and turned off that godforsaken light, you're not gonna get me to lay back down again, especially for that torment."

"Okay well, fair enough. Just thought I'd offer. I'm just saying there's really no point in putting it off when you're already here and I can have it done in a few minutes. You already know you trust me. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Hmm well I'll start at the part where you want to rip a very painful tooth out of my face."

"Isn't the whole painful tooth part why you don't want it in your face?"

"I don't WANT it there but I'm not exactly thrilled about the extraction part, forgive me."

"You're forgiven."

"That was sarcastic."

"I'm well aware, I'm just trying to distract the cute boy in my chair. Is it working?"

Jeff gave Nick and tired look but he couldn't keep a straight face with how Nick was looking at him, and he ended up smiling at this stupid brown-eyed puppy he was currently falling so hard for.

"You know you've got the prettiest smile I've ever seen," Nick mused.

At that Jeff promptly got red in the face. "It's just really funny you say that, especially now. I feel the need to call you out on your bullshit because I know you see so many pretty smiles every day. I'm nothing special."

"Do you know what I see every day? A bunch of phony people with disingenuous, fake smiles. I stand by what I said. You've got the prettiest smile I've ever seen and you can't make me take it back, because you know what I saw in your face just then? Happiness. Pure and wholesome happiness, even if it was only for the split second while I made you forget everything, it was god damn beautiful."

"Fantastic, I'm blushing even harder. Like a fucking school girl. All because of some guy that just wants to rip teeth out of my face and leave."

"Woah hey, listen. Would some guy that's just trying to rip teeth out of your face do this?" Nick leaned in and cupped Jeff's cheek, and before Jeff knew it he was leaning in and closing his eyes almost instinctively, and then he felt Nick's lips on his. It was magical and reassuring and everything he ever wanted in a kiss from past loves but never found. When the kiss finally came to a close and their lips parted Jeff only had one thought:

"Oh God, I'm falling in love again."

* * *

 **A/N: Well I'm clearly not getting any less angsty for this story. Let's talk about some of my inspiration and get personal for a second. I wanted to write something different this time and as I was writing it seemed fitting for Jeff's story that I took on this specific storyline. I was reading an old vice interview the other day where Gerard Way and a bandmate were talking about their drug abuse, and I think how easily it can happen can be summed up in this quote from the interview. "Vicodin just seemed so much safer because they came in a bottle with your mom's name on them, you know? So it must be okay." And in my mind, that's exactly what happened to Jeff and how it could happen to anyone under the right circumstances. Gerard was just some guy trying to record an album but it hurt to sing so why not take something? Jeff is fictional but this does and has happened to people. I didn't go into this to necessarily create sympathy for drug addicts, because frankly, I'm related to one that just almost overdosed on heroin in front of her kid. She's only alive because her child found her. That disgusts me and I don't have anything to do with this person now, and I'm by no means saying we should enable those in active addiction. I don't support this behavior or condone it, I'm simply writing about it. So with that being said, I hope everyone enjoys this little love story I've started.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Coffee Shops and Love Stories**

 **A\N: it's actually been 9 months since I updated this story? In my defense, it hasn't felt like that long, but I finally gave it some TLC and got the next chapter up for you guys. I swear I'll try not to make it another 9 months in between updates this time, but if you knew what my life has been like you'd understand. Anyway, on with the story. You guys have waited long enough.**

* * *

It took a few seconds for Jeff to find his words after that kiss, but eventually, he spoke. "As good of a kisser as you are, you're not talking me into what you're trying to. Not happening. It's a miracle you even got me in here."

"I think you're overthinking it, but I'll respect your answer," Nick said cooly. "But do you at least feel any better about this?"

"This? As in being here? Well no, but I trust you and that helps."

Nick seemed satisfied with that answer. "Good." He paused. "I have a feeling it's gonna be like pulling teeth trying to get you back in here, no pun intended. When do you want to do that by the way?"

Jeff's face washed of color. "Well, I work a lot."

Nick furrowed his brows. "That's not an answer. Okay, so it's gonna go this way. I need to know your schedule, Jeff. That's all. Do you put your work schedule into your phone calendar?"

"Well yeah."

"Cool. Then hand me your phone."

Jeff looked reluctant but unlocked his phone and pulled up the calendar.

Nick accepted and looked through Jeff's events. He flipped open his laptop and typed in a few things, and then typed something into Jeff's phone. "I put it in your calendar. I'll need your number so the office can text you a reminder the day before." Then Nick typed something else. "Added a little something extra too," Nick said with a smirk and then handed Jeff his phone back.

Jeff smiled a little when he saw that Nick put his number in his phone, but then his face fell.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

Jeff hesitated for a moment. "I feel like I'm in middle school and the cool kid's asking me out as a joke. You know? I'll admit this at the expense of sounding insecure but– I don't know what someone like you sees in someone like me."

"Well Jeff, let me tell you something I learned at one of the lowest points in my life. Our society is ran in most part by insecure people trying to find a way to feel good about themselves. As a child, my mom explained to me that most bullies are insecure themselves, and I didn't believe her then but as an adult, I realized how right she was. There will be moments in your life where you're a victim of somebody else's free will decision to be an asshat. The solution is obvious but one of the most difficult things to learn. You can't be your own enemy. Treat yourself with kindness because there are so many people who won't. I didn't think that was important until that mean voice in my head almost killed me, and the truth is it became my own voice. It's not an easy thing– retraining how you think completely. But I promise you it's possible."

Jeff stood there for a moment in deep thought, trying to absorb everything Nick said. This man captivated him in a way no other person had, made him want to do better. "I think there's a lot I could learn from you."

"Oh there is, but only if you're willing to."

"I am. I think it's time for a change. Clearly the way I've been going about things hasn't done me any favors," Jeff said. However, it was far easier said than done. Nick dropped him back off at the coffee shop so Jeff could get his car and the two parted ways for now.

By the time Jeff had finally gotten home a few hours had passed. He sent Kurt that text letting him know he wasn't dead before he forgot and then plopped down on his bed in exhaustion. This was the first moment he had to himself all day, and Jeff quickly realized he was not in the mental state to appreciate it.

The smell of his roommate cooking made Jeff's stomach growl in longing. He was starving but knew there was little to nothing he could eat. At that point, Jeff decided he didn't want to deal with the pain in his face or his feelings anymore, and he needed relief NOW.

He trembled as he reached for the Vicodin in his nightstand. After crushing two up with a razor he snorted it. In moments like this, he really felt like a drug addict, but it was the fastest way to get it into his system. The burning in his nose didn't matter, it was merely a second thought as he laid back down on the bed, waiting. The Vicodin would kick in soon and his pain would disappear along with his worries.

After a while, Jeff couldn't remember what was ever wrong. The artificial relief convinced him everything would be okay, even though deep down he knew this was destroying his life– killing him even. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

Jeff was happily avoiding his worries when he felt his phone buzz from under his pillow. He flailed around until he felt it and checked to see who was trying to reach him.

{Hey! It's Nick. How are you feeling?}

Jeff's stomach turned when he saw Nick's name through blurry vision.

 _He already knows too much. What have I done?_

Truth was, Nick was the only person that knew about the pills and that terrified Jeff. Up until this point, he'd just kept his painful secret because nobody could ever understand. Or maybe it was because he was content like this– he'd accepted a long time ago that this would probably kill him.

Between the addiction to pain pills and the toothache that would inevitably become infected, one of the two things was bound to take him out. The infection, the withdrawal, hell maybe he'd just speed up the process and do it himself. In a messed up way, knowing that ultimately his life was in his own hands brought him peace. If it all ever became too much, nobody would be able to stop him.

Another buzz from his phone interrupted Jeff's mental turmoil. Another text from Nick. {I hope I didn't scare you off}

Jeff racked his stupid, high brain to come up with something to say that wasn't depressing. He trembled as he typed out a message. {I'm currently a bit intellectually compromised, but you're sweet. If anything I figured I'd be the one to scare you off} Jeff stared at the message before deciding he was overthinking it and just sent the text.

Nick responded quickly. {Intellectually compromised? Is that what we're calling it?}

Jeff frowned at his phone. He figured saying intellectually compromised was better than telling Nick he just snorted two Vicodin but of course, his new friend was smart and could read in between the lines. {Yep. That's what I'm calling it} Jeff sent the message and debated on turning his phone off so he wouldn't be able to see what Nick said.

Another buzz a few moments later. {Well, don't let me ruin your high. Enjoy Jeff.}

Jeff regretted not turning his phone off when he had the chance because reading that message put an awful sick feeling in his stomach. It was one thing to disappoint himself, but knowing now he was disappointing his new friend was almost unbearable.

 _Why do you do this to yourself? Do you like it? Do you take pleasure in destroying your life, depriving yourself of anything good? Do you want this to kill you? Do you even care?_

Jeff buried his face into the pillow hopelessly. Soon enough Nick would realize how shitty of a person he actually was. He'd leave too.

But Nick sent Jeff one more text. {Oh and just if you're wondering in your post-high mind games, you can't scare me away Jeff. I'm in this for the long haul. I'm not going anywhere}

That made Jeff smile a little to himself. He rested better that night knowing he had a friend.

* * *

How Jeff ended up at lunch with Nick that Saturday was beyond him. That man had a way of sweet-talking him. There was still a nagging voice in his head that said it was selfish to involve Nick in this mess– but the other part desperately didn't want to be alone anymore. He needed a friend. Maybe then this wouldn't kill him.

Nick was already sitting at a booth towards the corner of the restaurant and waved Jeff over. "Jeff! Hi, how was the drive over?"

Jeff sat down a bit awkwardly, still not quite used to Nick's enthusiasm. It was weird to think someone was excited to see him. "Hey, Nick. Sorry, I'm late. You know how traffic is in this city. You look great, you know, not in scrubs," Jeff said playfully.

"I'm just thrilled I have an excuse to put on real clothes. I mean I can for work if I feel like it– but most days scrubs are just easier. You know? Don't want to get my good clothes dirty either... sorry you probably don't want to hear about that." Nick scooted a menu towards Jeff. "Since I invited you this is my treat. Get whatever you want. This place is great. Maybe we can start out with one of the appetizer samplers so you can get a feel of what you like."

Jeff shook his head. "I can pay for my half, and to be honest with you I probably won't eat a bunch anyway. I don't have much of an appetite nowadays," he said, flipping through the menu but not seeing anything that sparked his interest. "Hell, I think I'm getting used to living on blueberry muffins and iced coffee. I don't even know what real food I like anymore."

Nick frowned a little but tried to recover before Jeff noticed. Jeff just looked so thin and fragile. He needed to get some food in this man. "Well, I'm definitely making you order more than a muffin. C'mon, you've gotta like something."

Jeff's stomach sank as he was reminded of the reality of his situation once again as he tried to find something he was able to eat. "I'm just– picky I guess. I don't know," he lied.

Nick's face softened in understanding. "I'm a complete and utter idiot. You probably can't eat half of this stuff."

Jeff shrugged a little. "I'm used to it."

"But you shouldn't have to be," Nick said pointedly. "We'll find you something you can eat and you're going to enjoy yourself, okay? Don't feel uncomfortable eating around me or anything."

"This was a bad idea. I'm going to feel uncomfortable either way. I probably should've told you this before but I don't really enjoy going to restaurants anymore. It's just uncomfortable for me. I don't like eating in front of people. It's embarrassing. I can't just order freaking mashed potatoes in a place like this," Jeff finally admitted, tears threatening to spill over. This was never going to work out. It was stupid that he even met Nick here. "Nick you're very kind but I don't think I belong here."

"Jeff, hey. Just relax and take a deep breath. Nobody is judging you. I'm certainly not. If you want mashed potatoes or pizza put in a damn blender, I'll make it happen. I'll accommodate whatever you need, and that includes if you decide you want to take this lunch date somewhere else less formal," Nick said cooly.

Jeff smiled a little at Nick's words and started to feel a little better. "Okay... you've convinced me to stay. Let's hope they've got some killer mashed potatoes."

Nick smiled. "That's the spirit." He glanced at the menu again. "They've got pretty good smoothies here too, do you wanna try one of those? You will leave here throughly stuffed if I can help it."

Jeff smiled a little at Nick. It was endearing how naturally caring he was. "I'll try a smoothie. Strawberry banana is good."

Nick looked up from the menu. "Yeah?" he said coyly.

"Yeah," Jeff replied, glancing up at Nick with long lashes. Then that insecure voice in Jeff's head ruined the moment for him. 'Why's he bothering with me?' Jeff looked away and back down to the table.

Nick noticed the reaction. "What? Did I say something wrong?" he worried.

"No, no," Jeff reassured quickly. "I just– I don't want to ruin this lovely date with my insecurities. We don't need to talk about it right now."

"Or we can, actually I think now would be the perfect time to discuss a few things. Why don't you let me order and then you'll tell me about it, okay?" Nick offered sweetly. He placed the order and then gave Jeff his full attention again. "Now tell me, what is it?"

Jeff swallowed hard. "Okay fine, if you just wanna jump into it like you always do. How do I say this? I just... don't understand what you want out of this. Forgive my bluntness, and I'm not saying I'm not grateful. I'm just skeptical. I mean you know I'm not in the best shape, obviously. I still have to detox and I don't know how hard that is gonna be and I'm just– worried? Nick, you're such a great guy, why waste your time on a junkie?"

Nick's face hardened. "Don't say that about yourself. You've gotten yourself into a bad situation but that doesn't make you any less worthy of love than anybody else on this Earth alright? That day in the coffee shop I just knew I felt drawn to the cute blonde boy, however this doesn't have to lead to anything if you don't want it to. I know after you've been burned enough times it's hard to believe, but I just see somebody I'm in the perfect position to help. Once your face is fixed and you're not in immense pain anymore I'll help you find some kind of detox center so you can get off of the pain medicine safely, and there we'll figure out exactly what you need to fully recover and stay sober."

Jeff listened to Nick's plan and it actually gave him a spark of hope. "You already have this planned out huh? You're too good Nick, you still don't have to do this you know." Jeff smiled and thanked the waitress when she sat down his smoothie.

"I am not doing this out of obligation, I'm doing this because I care about you and I can. Stop worrying Jeff. Just trust my plan, okay?" Nick soothed.

Jeff stirred his smoothie while Nick ate something that more resembled food. "Fine. Trust achieved. What's the next step?"

Nick looked at Jeff with slightly guilty eyes. "Well I know you're scared, but we still need to fix your face completely before you can move forward with detoxing. So we'll start on that this week, how's that sound? It'll be different and scary coming in during normal hours but I think it'll be good for you."

Jeff looked back down at the table, not liking the idea. "What exactly will that entail?" he asked unsurely.

"Well Jeff, I don't have your file or anything here so I'm just going off of what I remember, but we can start with whatever you feel comfortable with or what you feel is the most urgent. So maybe you can come in for a cleaning and then if you're feeling up to it we can take care of the issues that are causing you the most pain first," Nick offered.

Jeff shifted uncomfortably and subconsciously rubbed at his cheek where the bad tooth was.

Nick saw Jeff clam up so he quickly changed the subject. "But you won't be scared, I promise. I'll leave it at that. We don't need to talk about it anymore. Just know I've got you. Now drink your smoothie you goof," Nick teased.

Jeff drank more of his smoothie sheepishly. "I've just never had anybody that wanted to help me. This is just weird."

"Nobody? What about your parents?" Nick asked.

Jeff's face dropped again. "Well, that's complicated."

"Oh? We don't have to talk about it," Nick reassured.

"Just know the only good parent I ever had is dead, and the one that's still alive has never been anything to me. I don't have any siblings. I've just been on my own since I was 18. I was able to live off of my dad's life insurance for a while but I went back to work a few months after to get my mind off of it. I guess I haven't really stopped since. It's just been about surviving for so long that I never thought about what I wanted," Jeff confessed. But looking up at Nick he knew exactly what he wanted, and that scared him. He wanted Nick.

"Sounds like you've already survived more pain than most people see in a lifetime. But you're not alone anymore. You've got a friend in me if nothing more," Nick reassured.

Jeff smiled a little. "I know. I believe you. For the first time in my life, I see a way out of this."

Nick grinned stupidly. "That's incredible. I will get you well Jeff. It's not a fantasy anymore. I will help provide you with the tools you need to get sober and from there, your life will flourish."

Jeff tried to believe Nick but after falling so deep into this addiction and after being alone for so long, this just didn't seem realistic. He was still having trouble understanding why this handsome man was wasting his time on him. "Fine. Let's say I let you do your thing. What's the first step? Let's see how much you can freak me out," Jeff challenged, stealing a few soft French fries off of Nick's plate because that was one of the few things that was close to being food that Jeff was able to chew.

Nick smirked and pushed his plate towards Jeff a little, silently urging him to eat as much as he wanted. "Well I'm finally getting some food in you so I'm not sure now would be the time to give you those details. Just know I wouldn't start out with anything too crazy. I mean maybe we'll start out with a cleaning and then if you're comfortable we'll start on some of the more complex stuff as I said earlier."

"Will you do that part?" Jeff wondered, shoving another fry in his mouth.

Nick grinned. "Technically it's a hygienist's job to do the cleaning but I am more than capable, of doing stuff like that if you're more comfortable with me that is."

Jeff shrugged. "I think that'd be better. I know it's not something you usually do but you're the one I trust, you know?"

Nick smiled kindly again. "That's fine. Whatever you need. I'm glad you trust me. However, trusting me also means trusting the staff I took very careful consideration into hiring. Maybe not this time, because like I said I'll do your cleaning if that's what you want, but eventually I'll need an extra set of hands. So you'll have to at least get used to somebody assisting me during more complicated procedures. But everyone I've hired has been vetted personally by me, so don't you worry about that. I'd like to think I'm a very good judge of character and I wouldn't let anybody work at my practice if I was worried about their character or chair side manner."

Jeff listened to Nick carefully and nodded in understanding. "Once I get past how much it freaks me out, it's pretty cool that you run your own office."

Nick's lips turned upwards into a grin. "Yeah? I guess it is pretty cool. I handpicked everything from the people I work with to the paint on the walls. I mean it's my whole life's work so I hope it's cool," he chuckled.

Jeff could feel a smile tugging at his own lips, something about Nick's energy was just so comforting and inviting. "I'm really glad you walked into my store that day, just for the record. It was nothing short of a miracle, as stupid as that sounds."

Nick's eyes beamed. "Doesn't sound stupid at all. Now what else do you want to munch on? Wanna spiit a baked potato? I'll fix it up southern style with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper and maybe some cheese. Does that sound good?"

Jeff's mouth watered at the thought. "Mmm. That does sound really good."

"It's delicious, and it's easy to eat. I'll order it. Want any dessert or anything?"

Jeff's brain wanted one thing but he knew he wouldn't be able to eat it. So he just shook his head a little.

"Nu uh, what is it? What else do you want?" Nick coaxed.

Jeff grew sheepish again. "The strawberry cheesecake looks so good but I know it'll be really sweet and I just– I don't know if I can't eat it," he admitted.

Nick frowned. "Well I'll order it anyway and you try to eat whatever you can. If it hurts then I'll bring you back after we've finished with all of this and we'll have all the celebratory cheesecake you can eat."

Jeff had to hold back a smile. "You've got a plan for everything don't you?"

"Habit I'm afraid. So yes to trying the cheesecake?"

"Well I can't say no to you," Jeff flirted.

"That will come in handy later," Nick winked playfully. He ordered the rest of the food and sipped on his water. The two chatted with each other and the time seemed to slip by and Jeff grew more comfortable with Nick. He was even able to eat some cheesecake with relative ease. The date lasted hours longer than either man expected and soon it was late.

"Well Jeff, as much as I'm enjoying this," Nick yawned, "I'm old and tired," he laughed. "So you're going to come in without a fight on Wednesday right?" Nick asked with his eyebrows raised.

Jeff's face blanched like always when he was reminded of this subject. "I'll try."

"Do you need me to prescribe you something for the anxiety?" Nick asked. "That might help."

"Maybe for the night before but I can't take it day of, I don't have anyone to drive me."

Nick thought for a second. "Hmm. Well, it's your day off so I guess I'll change my schedule around a little and I'll pick you up. Take your medicine, don't worry about having to drive. I'll make this more romantic for you and you won't have to worry about anything. Will that make this more bearable my lovely?" he offered sweetly.

Jeff looked at Nick with big puppy dog eyes. Over the past few hours his feelings for Nick had seemed to grow even stronger if that were possible. Usually he would turn down such an offer, but he adored Nick. "That actually sounds... perfect? Would you do that for me?"

"I absolutely would," Nick smiled. "I'll see you then Jeff. Don't worry your pretty little head about it okay?"

"How could I when I've got such a pretty guy on my side?" Jeff couldn't help but flirt back.

"Exactly," Nick said standing up. The two walked to their respective vehicles. Nick lingered. "Tonight was really nice Jeff. It won't be the last right?"

"Absolutely not. Besides I'm seeing you again on Wednesday aren't I?" Jeff said sheepishly.

Nick grinned a little. "That's right," he said, walking a little closer. "I'll see you again soon," he said.

Jeff stepped a little closer to Nick. "Not soon enough." This time Jeff initiated the kiss and gently pulled Nick's face closer to his. He put his hand in his soft hair and gently kissed his lips. Nick's lips were soft and sweet, and Jeff pulled him in a little closer, not being able to help himself.

Nick smiled into Jeff's eagerness and ended up parting his lips. Jeff's tongue slid into Nick's mouth and the two made out heatedly for a few seconds before they had to pull away to breathe.

"That was– confident. I liked it. You should do things like that more," Nick smirked.

"I think I'm pretty sure of what I want now."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Nick inquired.

"It's who's that," Jeff whispered. He kissed Nick sweetly on the lips one more time. "You."

Nick smiled a big stupid smile and pulled Jeff back in for one last passionate kiss. After the two were finally able to pull themselves off of each other they were both smiling big. "Then it seems we're on the same page?" Nick asked goofily.

"Indeed."

* * *

Nick got the anxiety medicine to Jeff a few days beforehand, and he took the Valium the night before and was surprised by how well he slept. So well, in fact, he slept through his alarms it appeared. Shit shit shit. He was late. Really late. Then he noticed the banging on his door and swore inwardly. He'd given Nick his address last night so he could pick him up but Jeff wasn't dressed or anything yet. He swung open the door with messy hair. "Nick I am SO sorry! You'd think for a drug addict I wouldn't be so sensitive to medicine but it looks like I slept through my alarms," he deadpanned. "I'm sorry again. Come in. My roommate is already at work. I need to get dressed," Jeff said sheepishly, realizing in his rush to answer the door he forgot to put on anything more than the boxers he slept in.

Nick smiled despite the inconvenience situation. "No worries," he said, stepping inside. "I mean as much as I'd love for you to come like that I don't think the rest of the staff will like it," he joked.

Jeff laughed awkwardly. "Yeeeaaah, you don't have to pretend to be into this. I know I could stand to gain a few pounds," he said, walking back into his bedroom.

"You know that's not what I thought Jeff," Nick said, but stayed outside of the bedroom to give Jeff his privacy.

"Yeah, you're too nice to say it," Jeff deadpanned. Between waking up late and Nick seeing his body, Jeff was already in a bad mood.

"Oh take the other pill," Nick reminded gently.

"That's a funny thing to say to a drug addict," Jeff added helpfully.

"Yeah well soon it'll be open your mouth and stay still, so it's probably the nicest thing I'll tell you today," Nick teased.

Jeff shivered. "Yeah okay now I really wanna continue getting dressed," he yelled from the bedroom.

"I won't actually be mean, you know that. I'm messing with you," Nick reassured.

Jeff trembled as he took the other Valium. "Yeah well I still have a phobia, Nick," he said meekly.

"You're not really a morning person huh?" Nick tried to make light of the situation.

Jeff sighed deeply, reflecting on his behavior and realizing he was being an ass. "No I'm taking my anxieties out on you, I'm sorry." Jeff was dressed now but hadn't done anything else yet. He sat on the sofa next to Nick. "I don't know how you feel about this, but I need relief now so you're gonna have to be okay with it." Jeff pulled a silver e-cig pen out of his pocket and took a hit.

"Nicotine?" Nick asked. When Jeff coughed a bunch and he got a whiff of the stuff Jeff exhaled Nick realized what it was. "Ohhh. That. I'm fine with THC, the pain pills are what I've got the issue with."

Jeff took another hit and just gave Nick a thumbs up.

Nick laughed a little. "Well, I guess I also prefer this to grumpy Jeff."

Jeff laughed after exhaling the other hit he took. "You and me both. Trust me this stuff is helping both of us. I'm a lot nicer and more agreeable with it." Jeff sat there for a few minutes until he felt effectively stoned and calm and then continued on with his morning routine.

"Better Jeff?" Nick giggled.

"For now, but I've heard getting stoned before painful things can make them hurt more so I might've just fucked myself over," Jeff wondered from the bathroom as he tried to fix his hair.

"Good thing nothing I'll be doing today is painful then huh?"

Jeff snorted from the bathroom in disbelief as he started brushing his teeth, or trying to anyway. Even being stoned and happy he cringed trying to clean everything thoroughly and it definitely hurt going anywhere near his broken tooth. That freaked him out a little bit and killed his buzz. He cupped his cheek sadly and sunk to the floor. How was he supposed to do this? His tooth hurting reminded him of why this was scary in the first place.

After a few minutes, Nick got worried. He knocked on the door gently. "Jeff are you okay?"

Jeff sniffled from behind the door. "It hurts to brush my teeth," he said pathetically. "And now I'm scared again."

Nick's heart gave a painful twinge at Jeff's stoned confession and lack of filter. "You wanna hear something Jeff?" he heard a hum from the other side of the door. "I'll be really honest with you. Other than the pain of having braces, I don't know what it feels like to have issues with your teeth. It's a pain I can't relate to, fortunately. But you know what? That also means I'm that much more sympathetic because I don't know what it feels like and how painful it can be, so I'm extra careful and take every precaution. There's none of that 'I've done this so you can' kind of insensitivity. I don't know what you're feeling, but I know it can't feel good and that's why I want to help you."

Like always Nick sweet-talked Jeff and made him feel a little better, so he pressed open the bathroom door slowly.

"Jeff do you wanna talk about it before we go?" Nick offered sweetly. "So I understand."

The two sat down on the sofa again. Jeff wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it, but after debating with himself he realized he had nothing to lose. "It hurts so bad, all the time. It feels like someone is constantly like stabbing my tooth with something sharp, you know? And cold air or any wrong move and the pain is almost unbearable like I cannot control myself cringing kind of pain. It feels like somebody physically digging into my tooth, I mean that's enough to drive anybody crazy. I'm used to carrying around room temperature water because it's the only thing other than snorting fucking Vicodin I can use to help with the pain," Jeff finally confessed. He felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders but he also feared Nick's response.

"That sounds pretty awful Jeff," Nick sympathized, putting an arm around Jeff's shoulder.

"No really, it's great. Ya know what actually I pity those of you that have predictable teeth really, that's too boring. You see I wake up every day and get to spin a metaphorical wheel of injuries and pains I'm going to somehow experience throughout the day. It's like a surprise that keeps you on your toes, don't know what I'd do without it. You can't fix anything Nick I've already adapted to this way of living," Jeff said dramatically.

"Okay I thought there was just weed in that pen, not acid. Earth to Jeff. Can you meet me back in reality please?" Nick said.

"At least I'm funny about it and not sad."

"No, it was still sad."

"Oh," is all that was heard from the blonde boy.

On that note Nick figured it was time to move along. "Well Jeff, are you dressed and as ready as you will be?"

Jeff whined a little. "Nooo don't take me to the scary place."

Nick rolled his eyes, feeling like he was dealing with a child. "It's not scary remember? It doesn't even smell scary. Last time you were so calm and relaxed, you trusted me remember?" he coaxed. Nick stood and looked Jeff in the eyes. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. Besides, we need that mouth of yours clean and in good shape, if it's gonna be kissing me right?"

Nick was doing well until he made the last joke and then Jeff crossed his arms. "Oh I'm sorry I never told you to kiss me, you did it first," he grumbled in embarrassment.

Nick shushed him. "I'm messing with you. I know I did and I'd do it a million times over, got it?" he said before planting a kiss firmly on Jeff's pouting lips. "Now please come with me, because as funny as you think you are it's absolutely not acceptable that you cannot brush your teeth without pain? That's just silly. You've gotta be able to do that to keep them healthy and if you can't brush your teeth throughly things will only continue to get worse. Lucky you have me. Let's go."

Jeff felt a little better once Nick kissed him but got panicky when he tried to move things along once again. "No please I'll deal with the pain."

"That's not allowed. Now can we please leave Jeffery?" Nick sighed. "We're running behind schedule."

"Maybe you should just go," Jeff said seriously, not getting off of the sofa.

Nick was unsure of how to approach Jeff's first act of defiance first, but quickly decided he was not giving up on Jeff. He decided that day one in the coffee shop. "It's funny that you think I'm willing to see you through detoxing but going to give up on you because you wanna let your teeth rot? As an amazing dentist, to that I say hell no Jeff will go," he smirked. He tried pulling Jeff off the sofa. "I'm serious do not try me, get up."

Jeff couldn't help but laugh as Nick pulled him off the sofa. "Stooooop. Who are you my dad?"

"Might as well be considering I'm having to drag you out of the house. Come on you skinny thing you think I can't take you?" Now Nick laughed. He grabbed Jeff's waist when he tried to scurry off. "Off so soon?" Nick caught him easily, "without even saying goodbye?"

Jeff squirmed. He wouldn't admit it but this was just a little bit fun. "You better let me go right now mister!" Jeff squeaked.

"Mmm, nope. We have plans remember?" Nick wrapped Jeff into a slightly restraining hug. "If you're good you'll get a kiss. How about you walk to the car with me hm? Please?"

Jeff pouted. "Nick I'm scared."

Nick kissed him on the lips sweetly again. "I know honey, but I got you. Come on. We got this."

Jeff finally stopped resisting and agreed. "Fine but only cuz you're pretty," he joked.

"I'm sure that's the only reason," Nick agreed he lead Jeff to his car and the duo were finally on their merry way.

* * *

Turns out it wasn't as merry as Nick had hoped after all. It was a struggle just to get Jeff into a treatment room, and he was still being pretty uncooperative. "Okay, Jeff I know you're scared but you were so well last time."

"I was too embarrassed to not cooperate last time," Jeff reasoned.

"Oh, so now that you know me it's okay?" Nick said, rolling his eyes. "Please, Jeff just sit down."

"Noooo you're gonna do things," Jeff whined.

Nick pulled him back gently by the shoulders and pushed him into the chair. He stood there unsure of if Jeff would stay. "Jeff honey I need to do things. Now, will you please stay put so I can get what I need and wash my hands without worrying about you running off? Please?"

Jeff felt a little guilty that he was acting so ridiculous so he finally nodded his head shamefully.

"Thank you," Nick sighed. He retrieved a few tools and then started scrubbing in.

Jeff panicked when he heard Nick moving tools around but tried not to let it show outwardly so Nick wouldn't think he was a giant baby. But when the chair started reclining and the light was turned on Jeff couldn't hide his panic anymore. "WAIT PLEASE," he panicked abruptly even spooking Nick.

"Hey whoa, what's wrong?" Nick asked.

Jeff tried to wipe away the tears leaking from his eyes. "I'm sorry I panicked, it was just so fast and I couldn't see because of the light," he apologized.

"It's okay Jeff. Just please try to relax okay. I won't hurt you. What are you afraid of right now? I'm going to be doing that cleaning soon so what about that scares you?"

Jeff swallowed hard but figured it was better, to be honest. "I'm scared it's gonna hurt. Between all the different issues I've got going on, and last time I remember the hygienist kept hitting my gums. I just don't want it to hurt," he worried.

"I can put some topical on your gums if you're worried about it hurting. As far as the other issues go, I know to be careful and where they're at so you don't need to worry about that. Okay?" Nick scooted to grab a jar of topical and a few Q-tips. "See? Gel. I'll put some of this in your mouth to make this more comfortable. Go ahead and open for me," Nick prompted.

Jeff was trying to be cooperative so he slowly opened his mouth for Nick. Nick thanked him and started applying the numbing gel. "It's tingly, so it'll feel funny. But after this sets in you've got nothing to worry about and can trust me fully okay?"

The gel felt cold and did tingle a lot, but it seemed non-threatening enough. After a few seconds, Nick finished spreading it. "Okay awesome. Let it sit for a second and then we'll start. So does the idea of a device that sprays water and makes some noise scare you more or less than good old fashioned metal?" Nick asked.

The look on Jeff's face said he didn't like either option, but Nick adjusted the light nevertheless. "I usually start out with the first one so I have to use the regular scaler as little as possible okay? Can you deal with some vibration and spraying water? I did use the gel to numb you a bit after all, so you should be comfortable."

Jeff squinted his eyes at the light and turned his head away in panic without realizing it. Nick gently pushed Jeff's shoulders back down and adjusted his mouth to the position he needed it in. "I know you're scared but it's important that you stay still and stay like this okay? You can raise your hand if you get scared but turning away abruptly can get you hurt so you need to learn right away that that's not an option okay?" Nick spoke gently. "These tools will not hurt you unless you do something like jerk away, and they're sharp so really you risk both of us getting hurt. So can you try really hard not to do that again?"

Jeff nodded sheepishly. "I'm sorry I just got freaked out. I'll try to control it."

"It's okay. I'm not upset with you. I just want you to understand. Now, do you trust me enough to open your mouth and stay really still?" Nick asked with two tools in his hands.

Jeff didn't want to, but he felt bad at this point so he needed to regardless of what he was feeling. He slowly parted his lips and allowed Nick full access. He panicked for a second when he felt the cold spraying water but quickly remembered he had to stay still. He urged himself to take a deep breath and relax before he went into full panic mode without giving this a shot. So Jeff trembled as he tried to keep from flinching away.

"Jeff, Jeff, relax. You're okay. You raise your hand if you need me to stop but I'm going to strongly suggest you just close your eyes and relax. Maybe then you won't be so flinchy hm?" Nick teased a little, his eyes moving from his work to check Jeff's eyes. "You're okay. Shut your eyes. I'll warn you before I do anything with a new sensation okay?"

Jeff gripped the armrest of the chair and forced himself to close his eyes. He didn't like the spraying water but at least it wasn't painful, it was just loud and kind of irritating. Jeff took a deep breath and tried to keep his breathing steady. This wasn't worth having a panic attack over. He was safe.

"You're doing so good, I'm already getting a lot clean. You'll feel like a whole new person after this I swear." Jeff couldn't tell Nick that that sounded borderline insulting but chucked it up to him just not realizing it sounded bad. Jeff was able to power through this part without turning his head away again and finally, Nick was done with this part.

"Okay I'm going in with the regular scaler now, don't freak out." Nick got back to his work quickly but this sound was closer to nails on a chalkboard and Jeff was far less happy about it.

"Ah uh," Jeff raised his hand quickly and narrowly avoided hitting Nick in the face. Nick quickly retracted his tools.

"What's wrong? Was I hurting you?" he worried.

Jeff brought a worried hand to his mouth. "I don't like that part, it's scary," he said shaking.

"Why is it scary?" Nick asked patiently.

Jeff whined. "It just feels and sounds scary. I don't like it please," he started to worry.

"Was I hurting you, Jeff?" Nick asked patiently. Jeff shook his head a little. "Okay good so the issue isn't pain. Maybe is hearing this making things harder for you? I can get you some headphones," Nick offered.

Jeff just nodded a little in agreement, trying not to be difficult but finding it challenging with all of his natural fears about being back in a place like this. When Nick came back with a pair of headphones Jeff plugged them into his phone quickly in attempts to distract himself and let Nick finish as quickly as possible.

Nick approached with the two tools in hand once again. "Are you okay? Can I try again?"

Jeff nodded and turned the music up as loud as it would go, determined to get this visit over with without embarrassing himself too much more. He tried to relax and Nick finished cleaning his teeth but couldn't help but grow restless at the delicate and time-consuming work. Jeff finally opted to raised his hand so he could get a break.

"What's wrong Jeff? Do you need a break?" Jeff nodded stiffly. Nick sat him up a little and got him a drink of water.

Jeff nodded and drank some of the water, then pressed on his jaw a little trying to get it to be less sore. This wasn't fun anymore and they still weren't done. How did normal people do this? Even being under Nick's amazing care Jeff felt like he could cry. Why couldn't this one thing be easy? Why couldn't he power through just this one part?

"Jeff, what's wrong? You know you're more than allowed to have a break and I'm not mad at all. I know getting back into the swing of things can be scary. Is your jaw sore hun? It never occurred to me to check for TMJ issues but it would make sense given your case. Hm. I'm gonna try something Jeff but don't get freaked out." Nick put his hand on an area on Jeff's jaw and pressed down ever so gently. "Okay this might hurt a little but try to open your mouth."

Jeff attempted to but the loud clink caught both of their attention and Jeff's ended up cringing and getting a little freaked. "I'm sorry, sorry! I'm gonna say you definitely have some TMJ issues going on as well, but we'll get it all taken care of in good time right?" Nick said, clapping his hands together. "I'm sorry that hurt you a little Jeff. Do you want a mouth prop to let your mouth rest or does the thought of that freak you out more?"

Jeff cupped his cheek and shook his head frantically when he saw the tool. "N-no that will keep my mouth held open. I don't want that."

Nick's heart hurt in sympathy. "I know it looks scary and restraining but I promise it's just to help you rest, and if you get really sick of it just raise your hand and I'll take it out. Deal? Now, will you please just try it? I don't think the medium size will be too uncomfortable for you." Nick tried showing Jeff the tool to take away some of the uncertainty. "See? It won't hurt you. This is just here so you can take a nap without worrying about what I'm doing," Nick smirked. Jeff still didn't seem thrilled so Nick decided it was time to pull one last trick out of his book. "I was gonna wait but you seem antsy enough now and there's no point in that. I've got a few other things to do for the cleaning but then I'd really like to move on and try to get that one bad tooth out? Do you think you'd be willing to try that today?"

Jeff knew he needed to be sober and clear headed to make that decision, but dammit he did not want to. He was still trying to get comfortable with the idea of Nick just cleaning his teeth and now the man was already talking about ripping teeth out of his head. Jeff shifted uncontrollably. "Nick I've never had a tooth pulled. I'm really scared."

"It won't hurt. I'll get you started on some gas so you'll be loopy, cooperative, and far less afraid. This is where it's your job just to relax and hand things over to me. Okay? I got this. So to address your worries, you'll feel a lot of pressure and possibly some rocking back a forth while I'm trying to remove the tooth but it shouldn't take that long. Then you're done," Nick tried to offer helpfully.

Jeff still didn't look amused. "Fine, I'm giving you permission to drug me and rip out my teeth. I cannot do any more of this sober, I feel like I'm coming out of my skin," Jeff finally admitted, sitting up and narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the light. "I'm sorry," he said, trying not to let the flood gates open, "I couldn't breathe. I don't know what's wrong but I can't really– catch my- breath. Nick?" Jeff looked to his new friend for comfort and reassurance in this stressful situation. He didn't understand what was happening.

"Jeff it's okay, you're not having a medical emergency or anything. You're just hyperventilating. I know it's scary, here. I'll get you started on some gas the second you can catch your breath again okay?" Nick put a comforting hand on Jeff's shoulder and handed him a brown paper bag. "Breathe into this. It'll help reset your breathing. It's okay there you go." Nick continued to rub Jeff's back while the hyperventilating slowly melted into tiny sobs and the blonde boy could breathe again. "You're doing so good Jeff. I'm so proud of you. Do you think it's time for some happy gas so we can get you finished up without freaking you out anymore?"

Jeff swallowed hard. "Yes to the gas, still unsure about letting you pull my tooth out of my face," he worried as Nick left the room. Jeff craned his neck to get a peek at where Nick went but was already gone. Jeff sighed in boredom. How on earth did he get himself into this situation? Just a few days ago he was happily (or not-so-happily) avoiding his problems until Nick walked in, and as grateful as he was for this man he also hated being trapped in this position where somebody felt so obligated to help him, and there's no way Nick would let him say no knowing damn well how he'd be dealing with the pain otherwise. Jeff knew he'd rather take a pill than ever be at a place like this, and thank goodness for Nick because that's exactly what he'd be doing right now if not for the brunette man. Jeff didn't want to admit this, but he needed Nick right now more than anything. Not just to help with his face situation because honestly, Jeff couldn't care less about that, but to help get him on the right track. Nick was right, the pills were never a solution and Jeff was lucky it hadn't already gotten out of hand. Hell, he was lucky he still had anybody left to care about him considering how far some drug addicts take it. Sure Jeff held down his own job and didn't steal money from others to pay for his habit, but did that make it any better? He wasn't hurting anyone else but he was sure as shit was hurting himself and for the first time in his life, Jeff didn't feel like that was acceptable either.

Jeff's lips turned up into an almost smile when Nick returned with a few things in hand. "Well you'll be happy to hear the drugs haven't completely fried my brain, because I guess I'm gonna let you pull out that tooth as long as you swear to me I'll be numb and drugged to high heaven."

"Lucky for you I come baring the supplies you require," Nick said, putting a mask over Jeff's nose. "It's just oxygen right now, don't panic. Are you ready to calm down now?"

Jeff nodded stiffly and Nick turned up the gas. "This should have you feeling a lot more cooperative in a few minutes. I've already got my supplies so let's just talk. Is there anything you're worried about that you'd like to discuss with me?"

Jeff blinked as the calm feeling of the nitrous spread over his body slowly but surely. He felt tingles spreading and felt sort of dizzy. Jeff's eyes were dazed and unfocused when he looked back at Nick. "Sorry what?" he asked.

"Scratch a few minutes. This works even faster than that. But it's okay I'm still gonna give you a few minutes to relax and enjoy it. Are you sober enough to listen to me babble a little?" Nick asked. He readjusted the mask over the cute blonde's nose again.

"I can listen just fine. It's the responding part that isn't working too well. Whatcha wanna tell me Nick?" Jeff asked smiling a little.

"Well for one I just wanna tell you that your teeth look so pretty now and you're adorable," Nick chatted, prepping some things out of Jeff's line of sight. "So did you know that other than our genitals, teeth are the main sensitive part of the body. Other than being an overall fun fact to tell at dinner, it makes fearing this kind of treatment make that much more sense, you know?" he chatted.

"I follow," Jeff said, which he mostly was despite the drugs.

"Take plucking an eyebrow hair versus a nose hair, a nose hair hurts a lot more and that's because the mouth is just a very sensitive area. It hurts more, and I need to take your current situation with the pain pills into consideration too because long term drug use can affect the way your body processes pain. What I'm saying is, it just all makes sense so I'm not judging you. I'm taking your specific situation into consideration and adjusting my treatment plan accordingly." Nick continued to babble as the nitrous calmed Jeff in preparation for the treatment.

"That sounds fancy but like you've got everything planned out," Jeff said.

"I do," Nick agreed happily. "Did you know that from an evolutionary standpoint the reason our teeth are so sensitive is that our ancestors had to use their teeth to determine if it's food or not. It's a human instinct. I've heard horror stories of people breaking teeth and instantly recognizing the foreign feeling of NOT FOOD in their mouth."

Jeff nodded in agreement. "Oh yes I've had that lovely experience. It's a real stomach turner."

"I bet it is," Nick said in sympathy. He lowered Jeff's chair a little more and put a cloth over his tools for the moment. "Under normal circumstances, I'd like to go over the treatment plan thoroughly with the patient and even take intraoral pictures through so you can see the progress we're making and the payoff. However, you've said that freaks you out, so I'll take pictures for my own documentation but you don't have to see them. Anything else you want to know about your treatment before we begin Jeff?" Nick asked.

Jeff looked back to Nick with dazed eyes. "Umm, I don't wanna know more than I have to. I trust your judgment. I know I'm getting a tooth pulled. Are you doing any fillings today? Not sure if I wanna know though..."

"Um, well I'm doing two other fillings today, and then we'll do the other two next time. All-white fillings because that's all my office offers. I mean that's all you need to know really. You'll be safe with me Jeff."

In Jeff's heavily drugged state he really hoped it would be enough to make this bearable. He trusted Nick. What's the worst that could happen? "I trust you. I guess I'm ready when you are," he tried to say confidently.

Nick moved a mask to cover his face and then flipped on the light and adjusted it over Jeff's mouth. "I'm starting with the fillings, so a little more non-threatening ya know? The ones I'm doing today aren't that deep so you should be comfortable. I'll do the extraction last so you can bite on the gauze."

"I just wanna succumb to the drugs Nick, I don't need to know anymore. Just make sure I'm drugged and happy and that's all I care about."

"So you'll be okay with me bringing in an extra set of hands too?" Nick asked.

Jeff gulped a little but nodded. "Sure. You're still the one in charge right?"

"Well duh," Nick teased. "Just don't let the other person freak you out. I'll be right back. Just try to relax. Maybe close your eyes."

"Well maybe you could turn off this li–" the sentence died on Jeff's lips as he realized Nick was already gone. He squinted at the light in hatred and tried to block it with his hands. He adored Nick but he still _hated_ this place. That would never change.

"Ready to rock and roll Jeff?" Nick's voice echoed back into the room.

"Not if you're gonna use that phrase ever again we're not," Jeff was pleased to hear a laugh he didn't recognize giggling at his joke.

"You know, I've secretly always hated that saying too."

* * *

 **A/N: Oooh who's that? Will Jeff have any complications? Will it take me another 9 months to update? Review and find out next on this thrilling saga. (Hungry readers review, just FYI, and I require hungry readers if y'all want me to give up the rest!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Coffee Shops and Love Stories**

 **A/N: y'all wanted complications? What kind of horrible person do you think I am *drops note cards* because I would never *stumbles* in a million years *falls over notecards* further complicate things for my characters, now would I? *nervous laughter* nah y'all know I'm a psychopath right? Good good. Now that that's been established, continue on with the story.**

* * *

Jeff tried to get a look at the new person but Nick was already by his side readjusting the mask on his nose that he messed up in attempts of being nosey.

"Jeffery in order to stay drugged and happy you need to keep this thing ON your nose," Nick scolded lightly. "Now if you'd quit moving around I'd introduce you to the man." Nick pulled a taller man into Jeff's line of sight. "This is Hunter. He's my resident and fellow dentist. I decided to bring him in in case you decided you didn't want me to work on you anymore and you'd prefer me to hold your hand. Which I can do and I wanted to give you the option of as well. So that's the last choice you have to make. Would you rather me be with you and holding your hand while I let Hunter take over and be my other hands? I'll be keeping an eye on what he's doing but he trained under the best and he's been working with me for a few months now. I trust him as much as I trust myself. I'll let Hunter make a plea for his case now while you think about it."

After washing his hands Hunter made his way over to the duo and introduced himself by shooting a rubber glove at his boss's chest. "Don't worry Jeff I got him," he winked. "Nick didn't anyone ever tell you only old lame dentists say 'who's ready to rock and roll'? Come on and you pride your office on being the revolution of modern dental technology but still say things like that! Pfftt," Hunter said.

Nick glared at the supplies wasted. "That glove's coming out of your paycheck," he joked. "Anyway, excuse the giant man child. Hunter likes to joke around but he does good work don't you?"

"Geez that makes me sound like a trained show dog. I do great work. Pretty, durable, only the best for my bosses boyfriend? Person? He still hasn't made that part clear but it's none of my business."

"Yes I'm quite fond of Jeff so you be nice to him," Nick said jokingly. "Anyway. Jeff how are you feeling?" he asked.

Jeff grinned at Hunter's playful attitude and calming demeanor. Maybe it was the drugs but he trusted him right away. "You've already won me over by attacking Nick with gloves!"

Nick glared at Jeff. "So do you want me to hold your hand you goof? Honestly with how giggly this gas has you I might need to keep you still."

Jeff thought about it and liked the idea of Nick being more of a boyfriend for once and not his dentist. "I like that. I've never had someone hold my hand for the scary stuff, I'm always alone."

Nick slowly peeled off his gloves and threw them away. "Then it sounds like my idea worked out well. I can do that. You've got this right Hunt?"

"Absolutely I do! Let me take a quick look at patient history, the treatment plan, X-rays, you know all that so I'm informed. You two can relax for a minute," Hunter said, pulling up Jeff's information on the computer.

"I've taught him well." Nick finally turned off the light for the moment and took Jeff's hand in his. "There. Now it's our job to relax. How's that sound?"

Between the happy gas flowing through his system and the cute brunette man holding his hand, Jeff couldn't be happier. "When you said this would be romantic the other day I honestly didn't believe you but this isn't too bad."

Nick smiled. "Yeah, well this stuff doesn't have to be bad. I told you it would be okay. Let me catch Hunter up to date on some stuff that's not in the file and I'll be back." He kissed Jeff on the forehead and then walked back over to Hunter to inform him where they left off in the cleaning and about Jeff's issue with pain pills which also wasn't on any official record for the sake of his privacy.

Jeff took a calming breath and put the headphones back over one ear so he didn't hear the two dentists talking. A few minutes later they both sat back down next to Jeff.

"Well the good news is your pretty smile distracted me from doing half of your cleaning so I'm gonna let Hunter finish that for me. So you don't even have to do anything scary yet. Sound okay?" Nick asked, taking Jeff's hand again.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah that's fine. Nothing you were doing was too bad."

Nick nodded. "I think there's still a little left to get with the hand scaler, polish his teeth, floss, you know the usual. Oh Jeff we still need to measure your gums, I was gonna let you be drugged for that part since it takes a little while."

"Doesn't sound like anything I can't handle," Hunter said, putting on gloves and a mask. He flipped on the light and then put on his loupes. "I think finishing a cleaning will be quite easy actually."

"Jeff you do want the prop again right? Your jaw was getting kinda sore last time," Nick said, running a finger over his jawline gently in sympathy.

"Yeah a bit. That's fine," Jeff said in a small voice, feeling sleepy.

"That I can work with. I might move it around depending on where I'm working but I can definitely do that. Just let me take a quick look around and see where Nick still needed to clean."

Jeff tried to pay attention to Nick and not Hunter all geared up. But then even Nick was glancing back to his mouth again.

"I can direct you to the area."

"Hey you're supposed to be comforting me," Jeff squeaked, realizing a stranger would be in his mouth soon.

Nick gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am comforting you. Shut your eyes and listen to your music please, and all you've gotta focus on is me holding your hand."

And then Jeff heard music covering his ears again and he opted to close his eyes. He squeezed Nick's hand a little tighter when he felt light tapping on his jaw, indicating it was time to open his mouth again. Jeff swallowed hard before resigning to his capture once again. After a few seconds he felt the prop being placed in ever so gently and then the scraping from earlier was resumed. He gripped Nick's hand a little tighter but kept his eyes shut and inhaled more of the happy gas.

"See? I told you he's good. I'm just gonna warn him before new sensations so it doesn't freak him out but other than that he should be good. Once I got the gas going in him he relaxed a lot more. I was making him keep his mouth open without a prop because I didn't check for TMJ initially, stupid me."

Hunter quickly got to work but worked delicately. "It happens. He seems comfortable now. You must've been doing a good job with him."

"Well you should've seen him earlier before the gas. Let's just say he wasn't keeping this still," Nick muttered with a smile. "I think I really foresee a future with this one. He's just something special. I can't explain it but just know he is."

"Oh I believe you boss. Don't worry I'll treat your special person with the best care." Hunter looked around again but was satisfied with the cleaning. "Alright you wanna warn him about the polishing and floss?"

"Sure. Just in case," Nick decided. He moved Jeff's headphone. "Hey angel, I know you're sleeping happily but I just wanna warn you that Hunter is done with this part and is gonna polish and floss your teeth really quick okay? So he's taking out the prop."

Jeff blinked a few times as he was pulled from his slumber but gave Nick a thumbs up and kept his mouth partially closed for the time being.

Hunter put some clear glasses over Jeff's eyes. "That doesn't sound too bad right? Is mint flavor okay Jeff?"

"That's fine."

Hunter readied the handpiece and asked Jeff to open his mouth again.

He did and he felt Nick move the headphones back over his ears. The polishing sensation was non-threatening enough and just tasted bad honestly. After a few moments that part was done and he felt the flossing part begin which also wasn't that scary. He opened his eyes a little when Hunter approached his bad tooth but relaxed once he realized he skipped that area. Another tap on his shoulders and the headphones being moved from one ear.

"Okay Jeffy now he's gonna do the gum mapping like we talked about earlier. It might sting a little but you can squeeze my hand," Nick warned.

Jeff was still drugged and happy and didn't take too much notice to the warning. Nothing had hurt up until this point. So he just opened his mouth again and kept a hold of Nick's hand. But this new sensation was a tad bit more alarming because he instantly recognized the feeling of something foreign in a place it really shouldn't have been. He didn't like it to say the least and struggled to stay still, squeezing Nick's hand harder.

"He's a little more nervous here. He probably doesn't like the feeling but it needs to be done," Nick said in sympathy. He squeezed Jeff's hand reassuringly and rubbed his forearm to distract him during the part that was stressing him out a bit more. "After this you'll start numbing him so feel free to turn the gas up a little higher."

"Uhh my hands are a bit full. Can you reach behind him and turn it up for me?"

Nick nodded stiffly and turned the gas up himself for Jeff and then went back to holding his hand. He just wanted this experience to be as easy as possible for his poor blond friend.

It took a little while but after a few more minutes Hunter wrapped up and finished the charting. "Alright done. I only saw a few 4's and after the cleaning today things should go back to normal if not improve."

Nick nodded. "Good. That's good." He moved Jeff's headphone once again to get his attention. "Hi honey, I know you didn't like the part too much, you were really brave. Hunter's gonna put some more topical in your mouth where the injections are gonna go okay?"

Jeff sighed in relief when Hunter finally finished with the slow metal torture device and gladly welcomed the q-tips. "Yes. Numb me to high heaven, please. I don't wanna feel this."

"That I will happily do," Hunter chirped. He put topical lidocaine on a few q-tips and placed them in their designated areas.

"Numb him extensively just in case it takes more because of the pain medication."

"I was taking that into consideration," Hunter said cooly as he complied. "We'll let those sit for at least 5 minutes okay? Jeff try not to talk or move them around."

Jeff nodded with q-tips in his mouth. Nick couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry but you just look too cute. Like a pouting puppy. I wanna take a picture of you but I swear it'll just be for us," Nick smiled sheepishly and pulled out his phone to take the picture. "Smile Jeff."

Jeff definitely didn't smile for the picture and that made it even more hilarious. Nick snickered as he sat back down. "Don't look so happy. I know this isn't your favorite date. I'll do better next time I promise."

Jeff only continued to glare at Nick, realizing that was the first picture Nick had of him in his phone probably. He felt tempted to throw something (soft of course) at Nick and tell him to delete the picture but he didn't want to mess up the placement of the q-tips. He communicated this by slapping Nick lightly and glaring at the phone disapprovingly.

"What? Ow stop, no I'm not deleting it. Deal with it. We'll take a better picture eventually I promise!" Nick swore comically.

Hunter gave the topical lidocaine more than enough time to take full effect so the injections would be as painless as possible for Jeff. But after about 10 minutes it really was time to get this show on the road, even more so considering after this he'd have to wait another 10 or 15 minutes for the lidocaine to take full effect. Hunter walked back into the room and cleared his throat a little. "Sorry to cut the love fest short but I think the lidocaine has sat for long enough."

Nick took Jeff's hand in his own, trying to make sure he didn't get freaked out. "You'll be okay. This stuff has been sitting for a while. You gonna be okay with the injections Jeff?"

Jeff got slightly panicky again despite the drugs because he had trouble believing this would be painless. It had never been for him in the past, and sure Nick and his staff were different but he was still worried. Hunter reclined Jeff's chair again and flipped on the light. "I'm gonna take the q-tips out now. Jeff do you think you're ready?"

The q-tips were being removed before Jeff could react and he was suddenly starting to feel the sense of urgency that came with having a procedure like this done. He squeezed Nick's hand and finally said something when all of the q-tips were removed. "This is uh– happening a bit fast. Are you sure it won't hurt?"

Nick put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No it won't hurt, not with how long the topical sat. You'll barely feel it. You've had enough time, you're just scared. Don't worry after this part you'll get a long break after okay? Like 15 minutes."

Jeff's eyes were still wide and unsure but the prospect of a long break made him comply. "Fine. I'm sorry. Just do it." Jeff moved the headphones back over his ears and slowly opened his mouth.

"You're good right? Inject the lidocaine very slowly so it doesn't sting," Nick instructed.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Nick I assure you I know what I'm doing. He'll be fine."

"Sorry, I'm just fond of him," Nick laughed. He watched as Hunter did the injections very slowly and Jeff seemed to be tolerating any mild discomfort he was feeling, but he didn't appear to be panicking. Nick continued to rub Jeff's arm and shoulder trying to get him to relax.

Jeff was actually surprised that the injections didn't hurt like he remembered. He could feel something almost stabbing him for a second but it didn't hurt (that bad) and soon it went away. He could feel it happen a few different times but once he got used to it and knew what to expect he was far less jumpy.

Nick smiled when he saw Jeff finally relax. From there he seemed to be overall more trusting and it was smooth sailing from there. Soon Hunter was allowing Jeff to close his mouth and flipping off the light.

"You did soooo good Jeff. I'm so proud of you. I told you it wouldn't hurt," Nick said excitedly.

Jeff gave him a lopsided smile. The lidocaine seemed to be kicking in fast considering how much Jeff was given. "Oh my goodness you are too cute. Jeff can we pleeeaaassse take a selfie?" Nick asked with big puppy dog eyes.

"Nick I don't feel very cute right now," Jeff muttered.

"But you absolutely are I promise."

Jeff glared. "Fuckin hell Nick if anybody sees these–"

"Yeah yeah, quit acting like taking pictures here is just as embarrassing as nudes or something. Teeth aren't genitals even if they are sensitive I thought we already went over this. Besides we took all kinds of weird pictures in dental school so this is so normal for me–" now Jeff interrupted Nick.

"Oh my goodness you must think you're hysterical. Take the damn picture before I change my mind," Jeff said comically.

"Okay fine but you gotta try to smile because it looks funny."

"I hate you," Jeff mumbled.

"Cheese!"

From there Jeff started to notice his face start to feel bigger and numb and it was just... weird. "Nick my face feels big and weird. Why do?" Jeff asked.

"Well because that's what it's supposed to do but also because you're numb and can't feel it properly. Just relax," Nick coaxed.

"I'm relaxed, I think. For now," Jeff muttered.

"Good."

Roughly 15 minutes later Hunter returned to the room. Jeff was drifting off to sleep from the gas but unfortunately he needed to be pulled from his slumber. Nick tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey Jeff it's about that time. Hunter's gonna check your teeth now okay? Make sure everything is super numb before he starts."

Jeff's eyes squinted when the light was back over his mouth again and the phobic part of his brain reminded him this is about the time to start panicking. Hunter was about to start drilling into his teeth and then pull out the other tooth and Jeff was gonna be able to feel everything.

"Jeff what's wrong?" Nick asked.

"I'll be able to feel it!" he squeaked. "Nick I'm scared again."

Nick held back a sigh and reached behind Jeff to turn up the gas more. "No honey that's what Hunter's gonna show you right now if you just open your mouth."

"After he checks he'll start," Jeff fretted.

"Jeffery you are so numb your entire face is lopsided. You won't feel it. You'll feel spraying water and maybe some pressure later but that's it. Nothing compared to the pain you've been feeling."

Even in Jeff's drugged state that statement made him angry. "It's not about the pain, if it were about the pain we'd be fine. What's going on inside my head is so much worse. But you can't understand."

"Jeff I don't understand exactly no, but I thought you were trusting me to give this a chance. You know how your tooth hurt to the touch I imagine before? Can Hunter please show you it feels different now?" Nick coaxed.

Jeff shuttered at the thought but realized he was being ridiculous. "I'm sorry. Okay fine. I just hate knowing you'll start soon. This is where my anxiety kicks in."

Hunter picked up the mirror and explorer again. "It's alright. You're nervous. I understand. Ready whenever you are, Jeff."

He felt Nick squeezing his hand reassuringly and sighed before forcing himself to cooperate. Jeff slowly unclenched his jaw and allowed his mouth to fall open. Hunter didn't waste any time going in and checking his bad tooth. Jeff cringed at the sound the explorer was making and how it sent shivers down his entire body, but did not notice any pain.

"Okay Jeff the two places I'm about to fix are here," more scraping but no pain, "and here," he said checking the other spot. "Do you feel any pain in those spots or were you reacting to the sound?"

Jeff certainly didn't like the noise the tool was making but that's not what got his attention. When Hunter checked the lower first molar he'd be working on he felt a very subtle but still certainly there shock of pain and stated to panic a little and brought a hand to his face. "No I felt the last one. I definitely felt something and if you were just using that tool– oh my god," he quickly came to the conclusion he was gonna feel this despite every promise and was ready to bolt.

"Jeff hey it's fine, that's okay! Remember we said you might have issues getting numb because of the pain medicine and lower first molars can sometimes be difficult to get numb fully. But Hunter will give you more medicine and check before he starts, don't worry," Nick tried to reassure.

Jeff felt like he could cry from sheer embarrassment. "I'm sorry I just thought something was wrong and you wouldn't believe me–"

"Jeff honey we will always believe you. It's okay," Nick said squeezing his hand. "Hunter's gonna give you more lidocaine alright? Go ahead and open for him Jeff okay?"

Jeff squinted at the needle saw just almost out of his line of sight and swallowed hard before opening his mouth. It didn't hurt and he was okay.

"Alright well, I'll give that a little more time to kick in and I'll check again with you before I start. Jeff for now do you think you're ready to start on the upper filling? It won't hurt, I just showed you," Hunter said.

Jeff sighed in hopeless defeat, realizing it was now time to start with the part he hated. Even with the gas making him calm and just keeping him from panicking this experience was absolutely miserable. "It won't just feel like spraying water... I'm gonna feel the pressure and the vibration. I remember. It's really uncomfortable. Nick I don't want to," he said, tears falling down his face in worry.

"Jeff it is okay. It won't be like that. You're not alone this time so you can squeeze my hand during moments where you feel the touches of fear creeping up, but you will be FINE. If you need a break all you have to do is raise your hand," Nick reasoned.

"Fine. I'm sorry. Spray me with really uncomfortable vibrations it's fine really!" Jeff opened his mouth and moved the headphone the cover his ear again. He tried to think about the feeling of Nick holding his hand and not the spraying water, but it was difficult.

"You're being a bit dramatic honey. It's not that bad. Just relax," Nick soothed. He was pleased when Jeff finally relaxed again. He watched as Hunter got to work, placing the prop back in and then starting with the fillings. Nick observed his blond friend struggling to relax despite the painless situation and turned the gas up a tad again. "Sorry, he just still looks tense," he said, then going back to running soothing circles on Jeff's arm.

Because of all Jeff's bad past experiences, it was difficult to relax. He kept anticipating pain, or that moment when something went wrong– because something always went wrong. He was metaphorically (because he couldn't physically) gritting his teeth in anticipation of the thing that would go wrong. However after about 5 minutes nothing seemed to change significantly and Jeff could feel himself starting to drift off to sleep. The spraying water wasn't that bad. If he didn't think about it he barely knew what they were doing. This gas must've been working pretty well.

From Hunter's perspective everything was smooth sailing. The restorations weren't too challenging and Jeff seemed to be pretty relaxed. He was able to finish the two fillings without any problems and soon he was taking the prop out of Jeff's mouth and adjusting the bite on the fillings.

Jeff fell asleep for a while despite the slightly uncomfortable pressure. At this point it wasn't pain so he could deal with it. Getting fillings certainly wasn't fun– but with Nick here it was tolerable.

"Does that feel okay Jeff? Normal? Bite a few times on this," Hunter instructed.

Jeff did and everything seemed to feel normal. "I think it feels good, but later if it feels weird I have a Nick."

Nick smiled at the statement. "You do have a Nick. You're doing so well Jeff. All that's left is to get this bad tooth out and then you can go home."

Jeff's smile fell a little in the realization that he still wasn't done and he quickly clammed up. "Can we just skip that part...?"

Nick resisted the urge to laugh. "No honey it's hurting you remember? It's gotta go so we can get you feeling better."

Jeff nodded sheepishly. "It won't hurt?"

"No honey. You're all numb. Why don't you just listen to your music, hold my hand, and relax. Okay? That's your job."

Jeff was still nervous and unsure but really wanted to get this over with so he nodded. He moved his headphones again and he felt Hunter put the prop back in his mouth.

By this point Nick wasn't watching Hunter as closely because he assumed things would go smoothly, so he was more focused on Jeff and keeping him calm.

Jeff felt something heavy enter his mouth but also felt Nick's hand on his arm and holding his hand reassuring him he was safe, so he tried to think about that instead. If he just stayed still this would be over fast. Jeff scrunched up his toes when he felt tugging and resisted the urge to move. But then he felt something slip and snap, and he opened his eyes in alarm– knowing something was wrong.

Nick's head popped up at the sound and he quickly looked to see what Hunter was doing. "What was that?!" Nick snapped without meaning to.

Hunter froze for a second, not knowing what to do. "I um– I thought I could pull out the tooth whole but it just broke off. I think I might be in over my head."

"You tell me that now," Nick hissed. Jeff was squirming around in panic, trying to figure out what happened. Nick moved's Jeff's headphone. "Honey I need you to keep the prop in and stay calm, its very important that you do not move. Stay very still now. I need to take over okay?"

Jeff was panicking despite all of the gas now, knowing something happened and Nick was taking over. He wanted to know what was happening but Nick wouldn't tell him anything other than to stay still. But he definitely felt something break and now nobody was holding his hand anymore.

"You should've told me BEFORE you got in over your head. Now I have to fix this. You suction and keep him calm. You're not doing anymore of his treatment," Nick said pointedly.

Hunter looked sheepish as his boss looked over his work and saw what he had to fix.

Nick huffed. "Look at this. Dammit. Give me more lidocaine, I'm gonna have to drill into the jawbone to get this tooth out now."

Hunter handed him another syringe of lidocaine.

Jeff kept opening his eyes briefly to see what was happening, and he would close his eyes back when he didn't see them doing anything. However at one point he saw Nick coming at him with a needle and without any warning Jeff got startled and jerked away without thinking and even though it didn't hurt. He didn't realize something else was wrong until he saw Nick jump and the syringe clattered to the floor.

Between Nick's frustration and Jeff's jumpiness this situation was a complete disaster. Nick had it all under control until Jeff jerked away unexpectedly and too quickly for Nick or Hunter to react, and Nick got stabbed right in the finger with the syringe of lidocaine. He tried not to scream but getting stabbed with a needle like that still hurt. Nick took off his glove too look at the injury and sighed deeply. "Shit. Well I can't work now," he said as he tried to move his fingers around, but he was already starting to lose feeling in them. Nick was glaring at Hunter. A silent "you're in deep shit".

Jeff moved his headphones so he could hear what was happening but he couldn't talk with the prop in his mouth.

Nick sounded calm despite the situation. "Jeff remember that thing I said about it being really important that you don't move? Well I think you accidentally moved and now I can't use my hand. Before you freak out it's okay! I'm gonna go get a different dentist to finish this and I'll go back to holding your hand. Stay calm. Hunter will stay with you and I will be right back."

Jeff's eyes were wide with panic, guilt, and confusion as Nick left the room. He had no idea what just happened but he had a sneaking suspicion he didn't help the situation. Nick returned with a female dentist in toe behind him.

She greeted Jeff as she sanitized her hands and slipped on gloves. "Hi Jeff I'm Dr. Richards but you can call me Anna. I don't want you to worry about a thing. I'm going to take care of you. Nick's going to hold your hand since he can't use his and Hunter's staying on suction I presume?"

"Hunter's lucky I don't kick him out. Only reason he isn't is because I know you'll need another set of hands," Nick muttered. He saw Jeff silently freaking and took his hand. "It's okay. I know this is scary. We still need to get this tooth out Jeff. I'm sure the last thing you want to hear is that you have to sit here for a few more minutes after already getting freaked out so bad, but at this point if we leave the tooth as is it will cause an infection. Do you understand Jeff? Are you gonna stay super still?"

Jeff was bewildered and nervous and he struggled to hand control back over to them after getting spooked once.

"Jeff it's important that you say you understand. Dr. Richards isn't going to start until she knows you understand so you don't get freaked out and turn away again okay, because that's really serious and can't happen again. For that reason I'm gonna have to keep your headphones off so we can talk to you and tell you to keep still if we need to. Do you understand honey? Nod your head."

Jeff had tears in his eyes but he quickly nodded his head, sensing the urgency in the room. He was terrified more or less but too scared to prolong this any further. He wasn't happy to find out he'd be hearing the rest of this, but he really couldn't argue with this prop in his mouth.

Nick nodded stiffly. "He's good. He's just nervous. I'll keep an on eye him. Jeff if you get freaked out you raise your hand and she'll stop but you cannot under any circumstances jerk away okay? If you get startled I'll have to hold your head still," he said apologetically.

Jeff shook his head and his eyes started to water again. "I know, I know. It's okay baby. Just relax. This won't take too much longer and then I'll get you home. But she needs to start now okay?"

The horror Jeff felt in that moment was indescribable. He knew this was one of those moments where he needed to suck it up and be an adult about this, but he felt like a scared little kid all over again. Squinting at the light in his face and unsure if he even wanted to see what was happening, and he definitely couldn't move an inch and if he tried Nick was at his head to correct him. In that moment Jeff would've much rather told them all to take all of this nonsense out of his mouth right now and left– but he knew he couldn't. So he shoved down the panic and just shut his eyes despite the silent panicking– just hoping it he cooperated this would be over soon.

"You might feel a tiny prick again, she's going to numb you a little more so we can get this tooth out. Relax. You're already numb you shouldn't feel it but Jeff don't move." Jeff heard Nick's warning and tried to make his body go rigid (because somehow he always managed to make this worse for himself) but he felt Nick holding him still just in case he was unsuccessful. Jeff felt the pressure of something uncomfortable sticking him but somehow managed to keep himself still during this part.

"Good job Jeff," Nick said, playing with his hair a little. However Nick worried about this next part. He knew Dr. Richards needed to drill into the jawbone to get this tooth out and that sound was definitely going to startle Jeff. Nick sighed deeply before deciding he needed to warn him first. "The next part is going to be really loud Jeff but I don't want it to scare you. Nothing is going to hurt I promise."

Jeff nodded stiffly and kept his eyes pinched shut. Then he heard the loud squeal of a drill and Nick was holding his head still. This was different from earlier– it was more abrasive and it felt different and it was scarier but Jeff was too horrified to move an inch after earlier. But it only lasted a minute or so and somehow Jeff kept his composure and didn't freak out again.

"You're doing so good Jeff, just relax. She's done with that loud tool now. Now she's just gonna check to make sure it's all out okay, almost done."

Jeff's eyes opened a little in alarm when he felt another sensation he'd never felt before. Like someone scraping the inside where his tooth used to be but there was nothing there anymore. It was very unnerving to hear but thankfully soon after gauze was being stuffed in his mouth and the prop was being removed.

Nick and Jeff both felt like they could finally breathe again. Nick because the complicated procedure was finally finished, and Jeff because this torment was finally over with.

Dr. Richards was turning off the light and setting up Jeff's chair soon after. "Alright Nick. You good to wrap this up and go over post op with him?"

Nick nodded tiredly and started to clean up the room with one numb hand still, as he flushed Jeff's system with oxygen. "Well I'm sorry that wasn't easier for you," Nick said sheepishly.

Jeff sat there biting on gauze in a bit of a daze as the drugs left his system. "Nick your hand," Jeff tried to say.

Nick smirked a little and held up his hand, "yeah, well if it's any consolation it only hurt when I first stabbed myself. Now it's just numb. Much like your face."

Jeff frowned, now realizing fully what he did in his state of panic. "I'm sowwry. I told you I'm a pain."

"Still worth it. If it only took accidentally numbing my own hand to get the majority of the work done with your face out of the way, well I'll take it. How do you feel Jeff?" Nick chatted as he cleaned up.

Jeff sat there in the chair, still trying to digest what happened to him. "Okay I guess. I'm shocked I didn't get freaked out during the chaos and try to leave."

"Well... I knew I was walking on thin ice and didn't really want to give you the chance to leave until after we got that tooth out. Didn't want to risk it. So in that instance I kinda sped things along before you could ask to leave."

"Smart," is all Jeff said. As he started to sober up he quickly started itching to take some of his Vicodin, not only for the pain he'd probably be feeling after this but for the stress relief. "So are you dropping me off back at my place after?" Jeff wondered.

"If that's what you want. However I can't really work with patients for the rest of the day. So how'd you feel about dropping by your place and picking up a bag of clothes, maybe staying the night? You know so I can keep a close eye on you and make sure you're healing okay," Nick offered.

Jeff couldn't help but grin stupidly at the offer. "Wait really?"

"Really. Only if that's what you want though."

Jeff thought about it, and really the only thing that was stopping him was the pain pills he really wanted to snort. He wasn't sure how Nick would feel about it, but he certainly couldn't pick the pills over Nick. There was a voice in the back of his head that suggested he might be able to have both. "I'd love to. I'm shocked you aren't mad at me for making you numb yourself though."

Nick grinned a little. "Of course not. You didn't do that on purpose, now why would I be mad? Your job right now is to relax and get well. I'm going to put in a prescription for some strong ibuprofen to help with the pain okay?"

Jeff's face blanched when he realized now all he'd be receiving was ibuprofen. This is when his recovery was supposed to start. Is that why Nick didn't want him out of his sight? "Yeah okay," is all Jeff said.

Nick studied his face carefully. It looked like they both wanted to say something but didn't know how. Regardless after Nick finished cleaning things up he helped Jeff out of the chair. "Ready to head back now?"

Jeff tried to shove the worries about how and when he'd get his next fix off to the side. Nick was more important. He'd figure out the rest later. "Yes. Absolutely ready to get out of here."

* * *

Nick let them stop at Jeff's place before heading back to his place. He sat on the sofa as he waited for Jeff to pack a bag.

Jeff was in his bedroom shoving some things in a bag when he lingered around his nightstand. He pulled open the drawer and took out two pills, his normal dose, but did he need it now? Well, the truthful answer was probably not, but he also wasn't ready to start going through withdrawals and this would be his only opportunity before he got to Nick's place. This felt incredibly wrong to do behind Nick's back, but it was like a second instinct to Jeff at this point. He didn't really think about the consequences and he crushed up two Vicodin with a razor. Jeff glanced back to the door and once he confirmed Nick wasn't there, he snorted the two pills. He held his nose and tried to get the stinging to go away. Jeff sniffled and wiped at his nose and he resumed packing his bag and tried to ignore what he just did.

Things were going smoothly. Jeff could feel the Vicodin starting to hit him as he finished packing his bag and walked back out to Nick. He smiled convincingly. "Okay I'm ready."

Nick's face dropped when he saw Jeff. "Your nose."

Jeff didn't understand what Nick meant until he felt the wetness dripping from his nose and panicked. He rushed to the bathroom and he could feel Nick trailing behind him. Jeff inwardly swore as he reached for some toilet paper to shove in his nose.

"It's okay. This can sometimes happen with upper first molar extractions. Just keep your head straight and dap under your nose to catch the blood," Nick explained cooly.

Jeff let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in. Nick didn't know. Not yet anyway. He kept a tissue under his nose as directed until the bleeding stopped. They were on their way back to Nick's place at this point. Jeff was feeling slightly guilty about the nose bleed but didn't have the guts to tell Nick the truth yet. He would be so disappointed.

"Why are you so quiet?" Nick asked on the car ride back to his place. "Are you nervous?"

"No," Jeff said quickly. "Tired though, and kinda out of it."

"Are you in any pain?" Nick asked in concern.

"No. I think I'm still numb," Jeff replied.

"That will wear off eventually. We'll stop at the store to get your ibuprofen."

"Okay. Thank you Nick," Jeff said sheepishly. He wasn't sure how long he could keep this up for. He had about 40 Vicodin left, after that he told himself he wouldn't buy anymore. So he had to make this 40 be his last, somehow. If he was lucky he could hide the worst of this from Nick and get himself clean, but for now... Jeff rested his head back and enjoyed the Vicodin kicking into his system. He wasn't sure how many more times he would get to experience this.

Nick glanced at Jeff in the passenger seat. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was happening here, he wasn't an idiot– but he was unsure of how to approach to the situation. Jeff wasn't even his boyfriend yet after all. But they needed to have a talk. Jeff needed to know that he couldn't have both. He would have to pick between Nick and the pills.

* * *

 **A/N: Special thanks to Val25 for editing this for me. I was in the hospital a few days ago (yes imma write about it) so I may or may not have been loopy on pain pills while writing most of this, but I think it still turned out okay? Don't forget to review. More drama to come :)**


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